


Collisions

by tonyjay



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Dom/sub, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Mental Instability, Pre-Canon, Sexual Adventures, Slow Burn, Unrequited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2020-09-06 10:29:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonyjay/pseuds/tonyjay
Summary: Although Franky submits eagerly, he is untamable. Doflamingo can bend the world to his will, yet he cannot seem to change this. [[on hiatus, but not abandoned]]





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the most unapologetically self-indulgent thing I've ever written. I intended to keep it to myself, but decided to start posting it since other people seemed interested. I hope you enjoy sailing this ship as much as I do!
> 
> Before we get into the fic, I would like to clarify that parts of this fic get pretty dark and kinky. Tags and warnings for each chapter will be added in the author's notes, please be mindful of those!
> 
> Huge thanks to all my friends who've been hyping this up with me, you guys are the best.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's an intruder in Water 7. Franky doesn't know how to feel about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra special thanks for my awesome beta [JaynisKobb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaynisKobb), their insight is beyond helpful and I definitely wouldn't be sharing this if it weren't for them.

The sun had just risen, and Franky was making his way back home. For that time of the day, though, the streets were unusually busy, and he wasn’t quite sure why. The last time Franky had seen the town square that crowded was when the Judicial Ship had docked in Water 7. He tried, pointlessly, not thinking about it too hard. It had been, what, five, six years? But if he paid close enough attention, he could still feel the dull ache of the crash, significantly reduced by the absurd amount of adrenaline running in his blood; he could still feel the sting of the salt water entering his open wounds; he could still feel the devastating emptiness which he was fairly sure was there to stay.

He was reminded once again that nothing would ever bring his old life back. Nothing would ever bring Tom back.

Rudely pushing himself through the crowd, Franky crossed the square on his way back to Scrap Island, after having run his early morning errands.

As he approached Franky House, he spotted Kiwi and Mozu running out of the house towards the town, gushing at each other excitedly.

“Oi!” He shouted, catching their attention. “Where are you going? Town’s a mess.”

“Bro!” Kiwi and Mozu replied simultaneously, changing their course and meeting Franky. “You won’t believe it! The Warlord of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo, just arrived here! Looks like he’s gonna make a big commission with the Galley-La! Like, a whole fleet!” Mozu explained.

“Silly, he’s the King of Dressrosa, not just a mere Warlord!” Kiwi corrected her sister. Then, she turned back to Franky. “Seems like he’s speaking to Mayor Iceburg in his ship about the details of the commission. Everyone’s waiting for their meeting to finish to see him!!”  


Franky raised an invisible eyebrow, and huffed out a laugh. “All this fuss is because a famous pirate is here?”

“Bro! He’s much more than just a famous pirate!”

“I heard he’s like, really rich, so just think about how his money could help the island!”

Franky snorted softly and shook his head to himself, resuming his walk towards the house.  


“Careful out there!” He announced to the sisters as they parted ways.

Nobody was home, which was usual for this time of the day, but he couldn’t help wondering if others from the Family had gone to the square to see Doflamingo too.

Franky walked upstairs to his room and started his little routine. He closed the door, opened the window, and pulled the small chair closer to it where he could sit and look outside. The window wasn’t huge, but it was placed so that Franky could have a perfect view of the ocean and the sea train station.

Sticking his head outside slightly, he looked up and had a look at the sun. Judging by its position, it was almost time.

Franky barely had to wait ten minutes to hear the imposing engines starting.

“Ah, there you are.” He chuckled.

He watched as the sea train left the island, his gaze following it until it disappeared in the horizon.

“Whole island is out there applauding some pirate.” Franky spoke, a bittersweet smile on his lips. “What for? What did he do for us?”

He watched the ripples in the water fade until the sea was still again. Almost like the sea train hadn’t been there at all.

After a brief moment of silence, Franky sighed heavily, supporting his chin over the heel of his hand. “How many rounds of applause did you get for saving us all?”

With his free hand, Franky lazily traced circles over the wood of the window frame, following its natural patterns. “Do these people even know how much they owe you?”

Slowly, his finger stopped moving as anger took over him. He pressed the wood tightly until it cracked under his grip.

“I know you didn’t do any of it for the glory, but  _ fuck _ ”, he spoke through gritted teeth. “And I can’t even resent this place. Because every corner of this wretched island reminds me of you.”

Franky watched bitterly as his tears dropped over the wooden windowsill and soaked it. Unstoppable like the sea train; inevitable like Franky’s fate.

⋆⋆⋆

The sun had just set. Franky was listening to some of his underlings report about their duties of the day and giving them feedback, as he usually did at this time of the day. Even though Franky’s bad mood was almost palpable, he tried his best not to take it out on his subordinates who had nothing to do with it. Still, he could feel everyone around him walking on eggshells when reporting back to him or asking his permission to do something. That in and of itself made Franky even angrier.

Spread out over his armchair, he saw Zambai out of the corner of his eye whispering in secrecy to a couple of others across the room, squishing together against the wall; they seemed distressed. Whatever it was, they didn’t want Franky to hear it, presumably because it’d stir his bad mood up even further.

“Oi, Zambai!” He shouted, interrupting the subordinate that was speaking to him. “You gonna run that by me or what?”

Startled, Zambai turned to him. “It’s nothin’ to worry about, bro.” He replied unconvincingly. “We got it covered.”  


“That’s not what I asked.” He retorted impatiently. “Come here and report back to me now. All of you.”

The men scuttled pathetically in Franky’s direction with most of them hiding behind Zambai. Judging by their fear, something truly bad must’ve happened.

“Uh,” Zambai stammered. “It’s about the Warlord.”

Franky pressed his fingers to his temples, rubbing them as he exhaled sharply, eyes closed. “Just tell me he’s not causing any trouble.”

The silence that followed was chilling. He raised his gaze, and saw Zambai exchanging alarmed looks with the others. Franky got up. He didn’t even want to hear the rest. “Where?”

“Blueno’s bar.” He mumbled fearfully.

Franky stomped towards the exit and slammed the door open, making his way to the bar.

Once he arrived, he slammed the bar’s door open even harder than he’d done with the door of his house; the crowd in the bar fell into a cutting silence, and all heads turned to him. Everyone was gathered close to the walls, as if they wanted to escape or protect themselves. The tables and chairs were pushed around messily. Surely enough, Doflamingo was there, right in the middle of the salon.

He seemed to be holding up a young lady by some invisible means, given that she was floating off the ground just below his hand. Franky hadn’t seen an absurd amount of Devil Fruit users in his lifetime, but it was easy enough to recognize one.

“Hey, you listen here”, Franky pointed at him as he stepped closer. “I don’t give a fuck who you are. This is my turf, and nobody is allowed to cause a ruckus here.”

He could hear fearful whispers from the crowd in the bar. Franky wasn’t known for being tactful or gentle, but he’d never hurt an innocent civilian on purpose. Whether other people knew that or not, though, was a whole other can of worms.

Doflamingo dropped the young woman on the floor and paced unhurriedly towards Franky, eventually backing him into a corner.  


“And who are you, little thing?” He asked with a creepy smile, but seemed genuinely interested.

Doflamingo was so large that he cast a shadow all over the other man, towering a good two or three feet over him. Franky was probably the tallest person currently living in Water 7, and he realized that he hadn’t had to tilt his head up to look at someone’s face in a while.

He was reminded of Tom’s large figure and turned his gaze away as he felt his blood boil.

Doflamingo smiled menacingly and tilted Franky’s chin up with his thumb, forcing him to meet his gaze again.

“When a King speaks to you, you look at him.”

Franky didn’t feel threatened, but rather, the other’s arrogance angered him so much that he yanked Doflamingo’s wrist away, twisting his arm forcefully.

“This island ain’t a fucking monarchy.” He snarled, this time not breaking eye contact in the slightest. “If you wanna play by the rules, you can go to Mayor Iceburg and he’ll handle you like a Warlord. If not, I’ll handle you like I do with every other pirate scum that threatens the peace of this island.” As he twisted Doflamingo’s wrist further, he could hear the bones crack. “Either way, you have no power here.”

Doflamingo was absolutely unfazed. “Why, dear, I haven’t even done anything yet.”

Franky blinked a couple of times and had a brief moment of clarity; sure, the people looked scared, and the tables had been thrown around, but nothing was broken, and nobody seemed to be hurt.  


Noticing this, Doflamingo let out a sinister laugh and raised his free hand, bending his fingers oddly. Franky was briefly confused, until he felt a tightness around both his wrists, and his arms were pinned against the wall above his head, his feet floating above the ground.

“You’re feisty,” Doflamingo grinned, an obscenely long tongue lapping over his own top lip. “I like that.”

Franky hadn’t expected the man to cower away by having his wrist broken; he was a Warlord after all. However, Franky had not expected this reaction either. Doflamingo wasn’t pretending to ignore the pain. In fact, it didn’t seem to affect him  _ at all _ . Franky wasn’t a threat. It was almost as if Doflamingo enjoyed watching him put up a fight like Franky was a tiny, little rodent he could crush under his heel at any minute if he got bored of playing with him.

Now, Franky wasn’t afraid of death, or pretty much anything else. He’d given up those kinds of feelings when he gave up his humanity. His life wasn’t his to live anyway; he was only alive to protect Water 7, and he was bound to spend the rest of his days making up for his unforgivable actions. To kill him would be to free him from his sentence, which he did not deserve.

However, being in the presence of someone who was so much more powerful than himself made Franky feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time, something he couldn’t quite name. No matter what vows Franky had made, or the fact that he wasn’t allowed to die, if Doflamingo decided he wanted to kill him then and there and destroy all of Water 7 there was nothing he could do to stop him.

The fact that the fate of Water 7 was no longer in his hands gave him a sick, twisted kind of relief.

“What’s wrong?” Doflamingo asked, and if Franky didn’t know any better it could’ve passed as genuine concern. “I don’t sense fear in you. Why are you crying?”

It was only then that Franky noticed the tears running down his face and his chest heaving.

Doflamingo laughed again, this time sounding less creepy and more amused. “You’re quite an interesting one. I'll leave your city alone.” He grinned. “Provided I'm not bored.” He licked Franky's collarbone and ran his tongue up the other's neck, across his face, and up to his ear. “Come play with me.” He commanded.

Abruptly, he dropped Franky to the floor and left the bar, disappearing into the night.

“Bro!” Kiwi and Mozu entered the bar in a rush, lowering themselves next to Franky. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” He said while sitting up and wiping his tears as well as Doflamingo’s saliva off his face. “He didn’t wreck the bar. That’s what matters.”

Franky quickly composed himself and got up, rushing out of the bar and searching for Doflamingo, but he was nowhere to be seen.

⋆⋆⋆

Franky had never been one for masturbating. Growing up he’d always had to share spaces with Iceburg, so he didn’t form a habit of doing it often; after the sea train accident, his cock felt a bit awkward in his enlarged hands, and if he twisted it a certain way, it felt like he was pinching a nerve. On top of that, his large fingers felt like stumps if he tried to finger himself and he had yet to find a way of reaching his prostate without using toys. Overall, it was too much trouble for very little payoff; he found that fucking was more gratifying in general, since even if his defective body decided to act up he could still get the second-hand fulfillment from pleasuring his partner. Franky had quite the promiscuous reputation, and managed to get laid pretty easily, whether it was with someone from the Family who was up for some no-strings-attached fun, a member from a pirate crew who’d recently docked, or a civilian who was feeling particularly adventurous that night.

After leaving the bar, though, Franky stormed back to the house and went upstairs. Declaring on his way up that he was turning in for the night and that he didn’t want to be disturbed unless the house was on fire or someone had died. He dug up his box of toys and grabbed the largest one, which he’d only used three or four times due to how almost uncomfortably large it was. After quickly and sloppily preparing himself, Franky shoved it into himself.

He pumped the toy into his hole desperately, like his life depended on it, and bit his forearm until it bled to drown out his moans and cries, to no avail. He was too far gone to care.

It took Franky mere minutes to cum untouched and he fucked himself through his orgasm to the verge of overstimulation. Without stopping for a breather, he sat up with his knees tucked under himself, stuck the dildo’s suction cup between his feet, and rode it home supporting himself on his arms as his body bent back. He barely had time to soften before his cock was fully erect again, and soon enough he was cumming a second time.

This time, he pulled the toy out and allowed himself a little rest. Lying on his back, he stared at the ceiling and panted.

Was that the work of his Devil Fruit? Franky had seen Doflamingo manipulate that young woman’s body and he’d done the same to him; maybe his ability was to control other people’s bodies as he desired? Is that why Franky had started crying? Is that why he’d felt relief, rather than guilt, when he thought about not being responsible for keeping Water 7 safe?

There was no doubt that Doflamingo was an attractive man, and he’d made a pretty tempting proposal back in the bar, but there was absolutely no reason for Franky to be reacting this way. He wasn’t a teenager. He wasn’t on a dry spell either.  


Come to think of it — the  _ whole city _ had gone out of their way just to see Doflamingo. One way or the other, Devil Fruit or not, this guy was messing with people’s heads in some fashion. That was the only explanation.

Franky quickly put his speedo back on, grabbed a clean change of clothes, and snuck out through the window. He made his way towards the bathroom, which was in a separate house outside along with the utility room. He washed himself quickly but thoroughly, and didn’t bother styling his hair choosing to simply clip it back after he’d towel-dried it. For his change of clothes he’d chosen his single pair of shorts (which were still pretty skimpy) and a hawaiian button-up shirt like the million others he owned.

Once ready, Franky made his way to the docks.

It was easy enough to spot Doflamingo’s ship even if he hadn’t seen it before. Upon arriving there, he called for whoever was listening and quickly enough a man with spiky hair and a mask peeked out.

“I’m here to see Doflamingo.” He spoke loud and clear. As those words left his mouth, he realized what he was about to do. If Franky knew feelings such as shame or embarrassment, this would be the moment where those would kick in.

“Your name?” The man asked.

“I’m Franky— uh.” He then realized he hadn’t introduced himself earlier. “I spoke to Doflamingo in Blueno’s bar an hour or so ago?”

The man disappeared into the ship for a few minutes and tossed a rope ladder down when he came back. Franky quickly climbed it and entered the ship.

The ship was honestly more gaudy than it was in good taste, but damn if it didn’t deliver the message that it belonged to someone who was disgustingly rich.

“Follow me.” The man said after collecting the rope ladder, and lead Franky inside the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My darling friend Ade drew some [amazing fanart for this chapter](https://twitter.com/trashmuh/status/1163559710223736842?s=20), go give her all your love 💖💖💖


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Franky gets a taste, there's no turning back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello & welcome back! I'm getting more and more excited to share new updates with you guys. I'm so glad everyone's enjoying this fic! It means the world to me.
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta [JaynisKobb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaynisKobb) for their invaluable help!!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: asphyxiation & dubcon elements (they're on board with it but circumstances may be dubious). 
> 
> Enjoy!

Franky and the other man crossed the deck until they reached a covert area and descended a flight of stairs. Doflamingo was sitting across the room on an enormous couch with his legs spread wide open as he chatted to a brown-haired woman who was comfortably settled over one of his thighs.

The room seemed to be some sort of all-purpose living room. The lighting was dim and everything else in the room helped create a perfectly sexy atmosphere. It led Franky to believe he’d voluntarily walked right into Doflamingo’s trap.

As Franky looked around, the man that had brought him there disappeared. He stepped further into the room and approached Doflamingo, who stopped talking when he noticed Franky’s presence.

“Franky.” Doflamingo stated, as if tasting the name on his lips. “I didn’t think you’d come so quickly.”

“You said you’d leave the island alone so long as you weren’t bored. I wanted to make sure you were entertained.” He lied through his teeth.

Doflamingo laughed. “Is that why you’re here?” He tilted his head to the side. “To sacrifice yourself for your island?”

The implication of those words were heavy, but Franky shoved all intrusive thoughts away before they had time to establish themselves in his head. He wasn’t there to cry and pity himself. “No.” He took a step closer. “I’m here because I want to fuck.”

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate blunt honesty.” He smiled, tongue lapping about. Franky could already tell he did that whenever he was excited. “Come closer, won't you?” Doflamingo said, raising his hand and bending some of his fingers; immediately, Franky was yanked forward and landed on his knees, right between Doflamingo’s legs. “Much better like this, no?” He commented, obviously amused.

The woman — whose presence Franky had since forgotten about — softly touched Doflamingo’s chest before speaking. “I’m gonna go tuck Sugar in.” She leaned in and kissed his face. “Have fun!”  


As she got up and walked past Franky she briefly scratched the hair behind his ear and chuckled as she watched him get goosebumps.  


“A shame she had to go.” Doflamingo commented. “But now you’ll have no distractions. I want your undivided attention. Understood?”

Franky nodded, feeling excitement pool up in his lower stomach.

“Here are the rules.” He began. “I’ll give you a task and you can only stop when I tell you.”

As Doflamingo spoke, Franky’s hands moved up his pants impatiently and he started untying them. Doflamingo snatched his face by the chin forcing him to look up.

“I’m talking to you.”

Franky slapped the other’s hand away and resumed what he’d been doing previously. “I’m not here to listen, I’m here to suck your fucking dick.”  


Before Franky could pull the other’s pants down, Doflamingo yanked his head back by the hair, more forcefully than previously, and forced him to look up again.

“Disobedience will get you nowhere, brat.” He threatened, but Franky’s smirk turned into a wide smile.

“Formalities won’t get you anywhere either.” He retorted. “Cut the bravado crap and let's get to what matters.”

Doflamingo shoved two fingers inside Franky’s mouth, which Franky didn't really understand at first. Still, he wrapped his lips around them, tongue swirling around and stroking the digits, coating them with loads of saliva. He stared up at Doflamingo lustfully as he sucked onto his fingers, already feeling his own cock hardening.

Suddenly, Doflamingo pushed his fingers further into Franky’s mouth, giving his uvula a merciless poke and making him choke.

“What the fuck?!” Franky cursed out after pulling Doflamingo’s hand out of his mouth, instinctively rubbing his throat.

The other smiled sadistically. “That’s a horrible gag reflex you’ve got there.”

“Yeah, if you’re trying to induce vomiting of course I’m gonna fucking choke, smartass.” Franky barked back.

“If two fingers are enough to induce vomiting, then I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.” He wiped the spit off his fingers over the side of Franky’s face.

“Those things are completely unrelated! I can suppress my gag reflex if I’m making a conscious effort. You better not take me for some kind of amateur.”  


Doflamingo laughed at how easily Franky had been riled up and ran his fingers through his hair. He found the hair clip and tossed it away. “You’re a cute little brat, I’ll give you that.”

As his fingers rubbed Franky’s scalp, Franky gasped softly, eyelids fluttering.

“Oh, you like this? Good. Lots of hair pulling for you.”

Franky nodded. Closing his eyes, he leaned into the touch. He could feel himself melt, all tension evaporating from his body like he’d been hypnotized into submission.

“Will you be a good obedient boy for me?” Doflamingo tested the waters.

Franky nodded again.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes.” Franky spoke so softly that he barely sounded like himself. “I’ll be a good obedient boy for you.”

Doflamingo chuckled to himself. “Who would’ve thought it’d be this easy to tame you.” Then, he yanked Franky’s head back, ripping a whimper out of him. With his free hand, he released his half hard cock and Franky couldn’t help but salivate at the sight. Even half hard, Doflamingo was already impressively large and thick. He couldn’t grow much bigger than that, right?

Franky leaned in closer, his tongue loosely hanging over his bottom lip as he became more and more aware of Doflamingo’s strong presence surrounding him. His hands ran up the other’s thighs as Doflamingo spread himself over the couch.

“Hands behind your back.” He said authoritatively. Franky obeyed, albeit somewhat reluctantly; he really enjoyed touching his partners, but he could do just as good of a job without his hands. He felt a familiar tightness around his wrists, and as he reflexively tried to move his hands. Franky found that his wrists were bound together. As he looked back at Doflamingo in search for an answer, the other was grinning wide. Franky’s focus quickly changed, however, as Doflamingo guided his cock into his mouth and he wrapped his lips around the head eagerly.

Franky took his time covering the length in spit before taking it further into his mouth. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Doflamingo to reach full hardness and he’d grown even more than Franky had anticipated.

“Hmmm.” Franky moaned theatrically, head bobbing as he took Doflamingo further into his mouth. He could feel the other man looking at him, evaluating his performance, making a judgement. How could someone's mere  _ presence  _ be so overwhelming?

As Franky's mouth engulfed Doflamingo's cock, Doflamingo encased Franky with his intensity.

He was at the mercy of one of the most dangerous pirates in the world, and yet, for reasons far beyond his understanding, Franky let his guard down and allowed himself to forget everything beyond the two of them. He surrendered, trusting that Doflamingo would take care of the rest. All he had to do was  _ feel _ . And he did. Like he hadn’t done in  _ ages _ .

With sex, Franky often seeked release from the stress of his responsibilities and tried to forget, even for a few moments, about the weight he carried. But his burden was too heavy to let go. He could never separate himself from it completely, perhaps out of guilt. But for some reason, here, he found a release. That state of oblivion he craved every day but wouldn’t allow himself to submit to.

For once, he wasn’t in charge of Water 7, his Family, his past, his sins, or himself.

_Franky felt_ _safe_.

Relaxing his jaw and throat, Franky dove in and took Doflamingo all the way in. He stayed there for a few seconds before pulling back. A thread of thick drool connected Franky’s lips with the head of the other’s cock.

“Delicious.” He looked up and smiled, obscenely licking his lips. He made sure to put on a show. Doflamingo mirrored his smirk, hand making its way to the back of Franky’s head.

“What a slut you are.” He pushed Franky towards his cock again, brushing the head over his lips.

“Oh yeah?” Franky teased and lapped his tongue over the slit.  


“Do I need to repeat myself? The look in your eyes says it all. You need this, don’t you? To be told what to do, to be told what you  _ are _ .” Doflamingo replied seriously. “Slut.” He repeated, testing for Franky’s reaction.

Franky chirped happily, nibbling on the foreskin and kissing the head. Indeed, he was overjoyed to be there. Doflamingo laughed.

“Look at me.” He ordered and had Franky look up. “Open your mouth. Tongue out.”  


Then, Doflamingo sucked in his own cheeks. Leaning in closer, he spat a massive amount of saliva into Franky’s mouth, who was careful not to let any of it flow out.

“Don’t swallow it yet.” He watched as Franky balanced the pool of spit over his tongue. Franky remained there unmoving and waiting for his next command; his dark eyes stared into the abyss of Doflamingo’s glasses, expression indecipherable.

Doflamingo sat up and shuffled forward, taking his cock and guiding it into Franky’s mouth.

Then, a smile bloomed over Doflamingo’s face. Franky could tell he was up to no good. “Look at me while I fuck your throat, cockslut.”

And with that, Doflamingo plunged himself into Franky’s mouth. Setting a brutal pace, his hand rested on Franky’s nape to guide his movements as he thrust into the other’s mouth.

Franky’s eyes remained lively and lustful as he whimpered. The only thing he could do was surrender. Doflamingo’s tongue covered his lower lip, and he continued grinning, smile growing even wider as Franky tried to repress his gagging.  


“Such a sweet, warm throat.” He praised. “Fitting of a filthy cocksucker.”

Franky moaned coyly at the compliment. Doflamingo could see in his eyes how much he loved the dirty talk.

“You naughty boy.” He continued. “I wonder how many times this velvety mouth of yours has been used like this. Who could resist it? I certainly can't. It’s like you were made for this. No, like you were made for  _ me _ .”

Franky couldn’t talk or move; he had to accept what was given to him. For a task so brutal, Franky took it graciously. He was thankful for his numerous past experiences.

“How many times have you taken a cock this size, I wonder? Can you count them on one hand? Or is it more than that?”

In the middle of Doflamingo’s speech, Franky’s gag reflex finally gave in and he began choking, coughing, and became teary-eyed. Doflamingo didn’t stop and didn’t allow Franky to pull back either.

“Come on now, don’t disappoint me. You’ve been doing really well so far.”

Franky winced, tightly squeezing his eyes shut and swallowing hard around Doflamingo’s cock in an attempt to repress his reflex.

“I didn’t say you could look away.” He reprimanded. “Pull yourself together or I’ll choke you on purpose.”

Franky opened his eyes obediently, his lashes sticking to one another as they became wet with tears. He breathed out hard through his nose and Doflamingo could feel the small puffs of air against his skin every time the other's lips were slammed against his crotch.

Eventually, he managed to force his gagging to subside by pinching his own underarm and focusing on that sensation instead. Despite the circumstances, Franky didn’t look like he was uncomfortable or like he wanted to stop.

“There’s a good boy.” Doflamingo rewarded him with a few head scratches to help him relax a bit more. “See? I knew you could do it. So don’t throw a little tantrum if you’re better than that.”

Franky became starry-eyed all over again. He blinked softly as he got his mouth pounded into. His delightful moans and whimpers sounded more like sighs, like he was overjoyed with the harsh manner he was being handled. Wordlessly, Franky found a way to beg for more.

Doflamingo, on the other hand, was now deeply focused on seeking his own pleasure. His lips parted, even if only very slightly, and Franky could see that his breathing became more labored. While one of his hands was behind Franky’s head, coaxing him to move, the other made its way to Franky’s throat; Doflamingo simply held it there, enjoying the sensation of wrapping his hand around his own cock over Franky’s skin and muscles.

“Fuck.” He groaned, letting out a sharp breath through his nose. It seemed like he’d been holding that in for quite a while. “This feels…” His head dropped to his chest as he was unable to finish the sentence.

As Doflamingo got lost in sensations, thrusting into Franky’s mouth eagerly, he didn’t notice the other’s breathing becoming more erratic and the little cries becoming weaker. When he opened his eyes again, Franky’s gaze was glassy, eyelids were heavier, and lips looked slightly more purple than they should be. Doflamingo could barely feel his nostrils exhaling any air. He pulled out abruptly.

Franky gasped hard and took in a large amount of air. He supported his forehead against Doflamingo’s knee, panting heavily.

“What happened?”

Franky tried to speak, but his voice failed. It took him three tries and it still came out hoarse and rough.

“I can’t— I can’t breathe through my nose very well.” He winced like it hurt to talk. “Sorry.” He adjusted his position leaning in to reach Doflamingo’s cock again.

Doflamingo pulled his hair hard as he dragged him away and forced him to look up. “If you pass out while I’m fucking you, I’m throwing you off my ship.”

“Okay.” Franky answered his voice barely audible.

“No. Not okay.” Doflamingo retorted sternly. “You’re supposed to tell me to stop if you can’t breathe.”

Franky made the closest expression to an eye roll without actually rolling his eyes, but the sentiment was there. “I ain’t a quitter.” He grumbled.

Doflamingo’s apprehension turned to amusement and he laughed, holding Franky by the jaw. “You sure are a freak.”

“Are you surprised?” He returned the smile, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, offering himself.

“Not at all. I know how to choose my company.” Doflamingo let go of his jaw and leaned back, stretching his arms along the backrest of the couch. “Go ahead. You can use your hands now, but don’t bore me.” He warned as he released Franky’s wrists.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Franky moved forward, circling both hands around the base of Doflamingo’s cock and taking the head between his lips. He stroked the head with his tongue, taking his time to savor the pre-cum and feeling the smooth texture of the rounded tip. One of his hands leisurely stroked Doflamingo’s length.

He took him further into his mouth, licking along the sides and base obscenely all while looking at Doflamingo with lustful, half-lidded eyes.

“Your cock’s so heavy.” Franky whispered as if admitting to the dirtiest of sins inside a confessional; he didn’t, however, repent of said sins on  _ any  _ level. “It feels amazing on my tongue.”

“Too big for you?” Doflamingo teased, licking his lips; the other mirrored his gesture.

“Hell no.” Franky took him in further tilting his head so that the cock poked inside of his cheek and made it bulge out. Franky then pulled it to the side making it pop out of his mouth with a loud sound. He repeated that a couple of times. “Not too big, not too small. Just right.”  


“Stop messing around.” Doflamingo reprimanded, although he was smiling, clearly more amused than upset.

“My throat is still sore from earlier.” Franky pouted exaggeratedly, stroking the other lazily as he leaned his head against his thigh. “I’m gonna need some warm milk to help with that.”

Doflamingo snorted inelegantly, covering the lower half of his face behind his hand as he laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

Taking no offense for Doflamingo’s reaction, Franky replied. “You really shouldn’t insult me when I’m within biting distance of your dick, you know.”

“You talk too much.” He ran a hand through Franky’s hair. “Now, be a good boy for me. If you do a good job I might reward you with some warm milk.” He played along as best as he could, chuckling at himself at the end of his sentence.

“In that case, I’ll be extra good.” Franky replied happily, promptly taking the length into his mouth again. He allowed his hands to roam freely, eventually yanking Doflamingo’s pants down past his knees.

Before Franky knew it, Doflamingo was stroking his hair again. He practically  _ melted _ at the touch, letting out the softest hums and purrs as he took the other deeper.

“Good boy.” Doflamingo sighed a few minutes in tossing his head back. Franky reached up and tugged the other’s shirt, catching his attention.

“Keep watching me.” Franky pleaded, batting his lashes. Doflamingo nodded shortly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  


Franky closed a hand around Doflamingo’s cock, stroking him where his mouth didn’t reach. His other hand roamed over the other’s defined abdominal muscles, caressing every hill and valley with the utmost adoration, fingertips tracing hot tanned skin. Franky didn’t stop giving Doflamingo's cock all the attention he could give nor did he avert his gaze for a single moment. He took pride in his multitasking skills.

His hand eventually traveled down to Doflamingo’s crotch and Franky briefly stroked one of the other’s inner thighs; then, moving further down, he cupped Doflamingo’s balls gently in his palm. Massaging them, he smiled to himself whenever a slightly tighter squeeze ripped a gasp out of the other man. After a while, Franky pressed two knuckles over Doflamingo’s perineum, proceeding to massage the area, reaching his prostate from the outside.

“Oh— Fuck!...” Doflamingo moaned loudly at the new stimulation. “Keep doing— Keep doing that.”

Franky was so delighted to have found a way to crack Doflamingo’s composure that he added a third knuckle to the massage and pushed further. In the meantime, he gave his jaw a little rest, running his tongue over the side of the other’s cock and covering the length in open-mouthed kisses.

“That’s so good,  _ fuck _ .” Doflamingo panted hard.

“Tell me how much you like it.” Franky teased.

“I  _ love _ it. You can be such a good boy when you want to.” His voice came out unclear, like he couldn't bring himself to properly articulate his words.

The more Doflamingo gave in, either in the form of moans or praises, the harder Franky went. He could see the other’s breathing becoming heavier and heavier, brows knitting together, nostrils puffing out.  


At a certain point, Franky had switched to jerking the other off as he sloppily sucked the head, stimulating his perineum intensely as he had the other's orgasm as his goal.

“Fuck.” Doflamingo fisted Franky’s hair and pushed himself deeper into his mouth, thrusting erratically. “I’m gonna cum, keep going...” He moaned, tossing his head back and gripping the backrest of the couch as well as Franky’s hair tightly.

Franky obeyed with enthusiasm and watched blissfully as the other came in his mouth with a delicious groan. He took all of Doflamingo’s seed, applying extra pressure to the head with his tongue to make sure he caught every last drop.

After letting go of Franky’s hair, Doflamingo abruptly snatched his jaw and yanked him up, smashing their mouths together.  


Their kiss was urgent and filled with passion. There was a deliciously violent undertone in the way Doflamingo cradled Franky’s head between his hands, like Franky belonged to him.

When they separated, Doflamingo was licking his own lips, tasting his seed. Franky collapsed, supporting himself over one of Doflamingo’s knees.  


Once his panting had partially subsided, Doflamingo moved to get up without excusing himself, somewhat rudely pushing Franky to the side. In turn, Franky pushed Doflamingo back even harder, making him fall back onto the couch.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked, almost accusatory. The submission from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Doflamingo was so shocked that it took him a moment to process what just transpired before he could formulate a coherent answer.

“I want to drink some water.”

Franky laughed, something between a huff and a snort. “You’re not feeling thirstier than I am, trust me.”  


Then, he got up, cozied himself up on Doflamingo’s lap and rested his head over the other’s wide chest, eyes closed.

“Ah, no.” Doflamingo shuffled uncomfortably underneath the other. “I don’t really like this.”

Franky snuggled closer. “We did what you wanted, so now we’re doing something I want.”

Doflamingo couldn’t really argue with that, so he just sat there, stiff as a corpse.

Some time had gone by in silence when he asked, “How much longer is this going to take?”, and after a small break, he added, “Your body temperature is too high, it’s making me sweat.”

“I need to stay still to avoid overheating.”

Doflamingo looked at him in confusion for a moment before asking, “... What?”

“Here.” He took Doflamingo’s hand and pressed it over his chest. “Can you hear this whirring?”

He paid close attention, and, indeed, Franky’s chest was vibrating slightly as well as emitting a buzzing sound.

“That’s the main engine. Usually I can’t feel or hear it, but since I've got a bit more adrenaline in my system right now it’s overworking a little. If you listen closely, there's also a clicking sound. It’s supposed to be once every 15 seconds, but it’s at once every 12 seconds. That’s not too bad, but the interval really shouldn’t get shorter than that.”

“Why do you have an engine inside your chest?” Doflamingo asked bluntly.

“Oh.” Franky blinked a few times, realizing he’d been rambling ahead of Doflamingo’s understanding. “I’m a cyborg. Don't tell me you didn't notice how my body’s completely unnatural?”

“Your hands and arms are larger than average, that's true.” He commented, trying his best not to sound rude. “But what really matters is that you use them skillfully. Which you do.”

Franky let out a little chuckle. “It’s okay. I was already a freak before becoming a cyborg.”

“Is that in regards to your body or your handjob skills?” Doflamingo joked causing Franky to cackle loudly.

“That’s a really pertinent question, actually.” He answered without bothering to actually clarify.

“So, Franky the cyborg.” Doflamingo said in a changed tone, and Franky felt a shiver run through his entire body at the way the other pronounced his name. “Care to join me for a drink?”

“Yeah!” Franky replied with a smile. “I’d love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be coming out on September 14th! Drop a comment & kudos if you enjoyed this chapter <3


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A newfound connection blooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Warnings for this chapter are sex under the influence of drugs and alcohol and Doflamingo-typical dubcon elements. Enjoy!
> 
> Big thanks to my beta [JaynisKobb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaynisKobb) for all the help!

Doflamingo took him upstairs to his personal bar where there were other guests waiting to meet their host. Franky recognized some of the faces as Water 7 residents, but he didn’t know any of them by name. 

He took a step back and allowed Doflamingo to give them some attention too, but the other man quickly snatched Franky by the waist and sat him over his knee, like he was showing off a prized possession.

The others gathered around Doflamingo as if there was a magnetism to him, like it was impossible not to be drawn to him. He made sure everyone received enough attention, that everyone felt important and desired. Franky considered himself a charismatic person, but he’d never seen charisma like Doflamingo’s. He was a natural at it. A born leader. Franky had only just met him, yet he felt he couldn’t help but follow. 

Some time into the conversation, Doflamingo produced a bottle and handed Franky a shot glass. “Truth or dare.” He said. “Dare is drinking. You start.”

Franky took the cup enthusiastically and ran his finger over the rim. “What’s your Devil Fruit ability?”

Doflamingo snorted. “What are you, a teenager?”

“I’m just curious, c’mon.”

“Fine, but you’re drinking because that was a shitty question.” He laughed, pouring some alcohol into the cup. “I can create and manipulate strings.”

Franky downed the shot and coughed at how strong it tasted. “How appropriate that you got the bondage-bondage fruit.” They both chuckled. “Your turn.”

“How come you’re a cyborg?”

Franky made an aggravated expression. Eyes wide open and lips pursed, he gestured at the glass for Doflamingo to fill it up. 

“Okay then.” He watched Franky get goosebumps after drinking his second shot. “Your turn.”

“Why are you wearing sunglasses at night?” Franky supported a hand over Doflamingo’s shoulder to keep himself steady.

“They’re prescription. I have a genetic condition.”

“That makes sense.” Franky touched the temple of the glasses. “Can I see your eyes?”

Doflamingo swatted his hand away. “One question at a time.” Then, lightening up, he proceeded, “Is your cock natural or artificial?”

Franky snorted, having heard that question a million times before. “It’s still somewhat natural but it’s held together with screws and stuff. The only visible part is a metal ring at the base, otherwise it looks pretty organic.”

“I hope this isn’t offensive to you”, Doflamingo commented, “but exotic body types are very appealing to me. I don’t believe I’ve ever fucked a cyborg before.” He said with a smirk.

“I love standing out. Please put me on your resume after tonight.”

Doflamingo laughed and slid his free hand down Franky’s back, reaching his ass and cupping it. “Will do.”

“Doesn’t matter how many cyborgs you’ve fucked though.” Franky’s hand traveled to Doflamingo’s chest. “Because there’s nobody in the world like me.” He touched Doflamingo’s glasses once again. “Can I see your eyes?”

“No.” 

Franky then took the bottle from Doflamingo’s hand and poured him a cup.

“I answered your question.”

“You didn’t satiate my curiosity. Besides, you haven’t drank yet.”

“What can I say? I’m an open book.” He smiled, downing the shot. “What’s the freakiest thing you’ve ever done in a sexual context?”

Franky’s eyes darted around for a bit. “That’s a hard one. I guess…” He pressed his index finger over his lips. “I have a friend who’s a half giant and he’s like…” He raised his arm demonstratively, fist closed. “...longer than my forearm, but about as thick.”

“That’s…” Doflamingo made a long pause. “ _ Very _ impressive. Are you quite sure you didn’t die in the process?” He joked.

Franky laughed. “It takes more than that to kill me, trust me.” He looked around as he thought of a question. “What’s the most people you’ve been with in a single occasion?”

Doflamingo motioned for his cup to be filled. “I have absolutely no idea.” After drinking, he asked, “Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever fucked?”

Franky laughed giddily, alcohol already running wild through his system. “You.”

“Drink. We haven’t fucked yet.” Doflamingo joked.

“No!!” Franky cackled. “Oral sex is still sex.” He rested his head over Doflamingo’s shoulder, giving up on keeping himself steady. “How about you?”

“I can name a few.” Doflamingo gave him a smug smile. “The most notorious one is probably the Warlord, Sir Crocodile.” Then he chuckled to himself. “At least that’s my proudest tap.”

“Dang. Understandable.” Franky nodded, impressed. “You know, I always thought that the Warlords were these huge hypocritical assholes who became the World Government’s little bitches and denied their pirate roots. But if the others are anything like you, I was totally wrong.”

“Some of them are disciplined, obedient puppy dogs. Some  _ need  _ the Warlord status for protection or other political reasons. I’m a Warlord because it makes things easier.” He winked at Franky. “Can’t rule a country if you’re illegal.”

“Of course you can.” Franky winked back. “Just gotta know how to hide in plain sight.”

“Perhaps you’re smarter than I give you credit for.” Doflamingo booped his nose with a little smile.

Franky hardly noticed time flying by. At one point, between laughs and drinks, Doflamingo slipped a tiny pill into Franky’s mouth, instructing him not to chew on it as he gently brushed a digit over Franky’s closed lips. He’d seen Doflamingo take one earlier, who was now longingly gazing at Franky, teeth barely showing through his smile. Franky came to the realization that he was pretty fucking drunk.

“What is it?” Franky asked with a chuckle, stroking the side of Doflamingo’s face. 

Doflamingo slowly leaned in and claimed Franky’s lips with his own, pressing firmly but not aggressively. In return, Franky parted his own lips, welcoming the other in.

As the kiss deepened, Franky felt his notion of time become distorted and his body felt heavier. He gripped Doflamingo’s shoulder and the back of his neck tightly like he was going to slip and fall off of his lap into an endless abyss. He felt himself melt and merge with Doflamingo, being unable to tell his mouth apart from the other’s. 

In this strange but curiously enticing sensation, Franky moved his hands to Doflamingo’s face and dragged his fingertips all over it, like he was mapping the surface, as he tried to understand what parts were himself and which were the other man. At one point, Franky was close to pushing his fingers into both their mouths, and Doflamingo pulled back laughing.

“What are you doing?”

Franky stared at his own hands and then at Doflamingo’s face as he tried to word his thoughts.

“We were all…” He gestured vaguely between their faces, words slipping away as he tried to catch them. “It’s like, you get copper and tin, and heat them up in a furnace, and they melt. But once they melt together, they’re no longer copper and tin, they’re bronze. You know what I’m saying?”

Doflamingo seemed to have completely lost track of the conversation, judging by the way he looked at Franky whilst processing the comparison.

Finally, he stated, “No, I don’t like that.”

Franky blinked in confusion. “What?”

“See, if you and I make bronze, that means one of us is copper and the other one is tin. Tin is more expensive than copper so that would be me, but it’s not expensive enough for me to relate to it.” Doflamingo spoke with a dexterity that nobody in his state of intoxication should have.

Franky laughed with honesty and cradled the other’s face in his hands endearingly, pulling him in for a quick peck. “You’re so silly.”

“I’m no such thing.” He said defensively, having taken no offense at all. “You’re the one making a silly, unfitting comparison.”

“What’d be a better alloy, then, in your humblest opinion?” Franky stroked the side of the other’s face.

Doflamingo winced, wrinkling his nose. “I don’t know, you’re the one who brought up alloys.” 

Franky simply chuckled and leaned in, sealing their lips together once again. They enjoyed the kiss for a while — Franky couldn’t tell how long, it could’ve been fifteen minutes or two hours — until Doflamingo pulled back abruptly, framing Franky’s face with both of his hands.

“I can’t be tin,” he said. It was a shockingly serious tone. “because the tin man is you.” 

After concluding his reasoning, Doflamingo poked Franky’s metallic nose playfully.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

They laughed so intensely everyone around them stopped whatever they were doing to see what was going on. Franky had to hold onto Doflamingo’s shoulder to avoid falling out of his lap. A girl asked “Doffy, what’s so funny?”, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer.

Later into the night, as they got progressively more intoxicated, they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Doflamingo found out about Franky’s very sensitive neck and his appreciation for bites and refused to stop marking Franky, who was ready to carry each bite mark like a trophy.

At one point, one of the guests climbed onto the side of Doflamingo’s lap opposite to where Franky was and tried to catch his attention repeatedly; he kissed them for a brief moment but ended up going back to Franky. They insisted a few times, but upon realizing Doflamingo was straight up ignoring them they got up and went elsewhere.

Franky hadn’t been fighting the guest for Doflamingo’s attention; in fact, he didn’t mind sharing at all. However, knowing that he had Doflamingo wrapped around his finger after having known him for only a few hours filled Franky with a childish, petty feeling; a feeling of superiority like a power trip. It felt amazing. After the guest had left, Franky discreetly stuck out his tongue in their direction, getting a chuckle out of Doflamingo.

Doflamingo eventually decided it was time to find somewhere more private — simply for the sake of convenience. Both of them were committed exhibitionists, but that’d have to wait for another occasion. He pulled Franky by the arm down a path Franky’s brain didn’t bother to register. They ended up in a room that didn’t seem like Doflamingo’s personal bedroom; too plain, too simple. There was a bed, a desk, and a couch. 

Before Franky knew it, he’d been slammed against the wall and Doflamingo had shoved a hand inside his speedos, while insistently biting his neck. Franky wrestled against Doflamingo’s feathery coat until he managed to remove it.

“Careful.” Doflamingo roughly grabbed Franky’s jaw, squishing his cheeks with one hand and forcing him against the wall, “That’s worth more money than your weight in gold.”

Franky snorted. “Don’t act so butthurt, I’m sure you could afford a new one or a hundred.”

Doflamingo pressed Franky harder against the wall, a creepy smile over his face. “I don’t like it when rebellious brats wreck my things.”

Franky almost felt like destroying the coat on purpose just to rile him up. “What would you do to set a rebellious brat right?”

“I don’t waste my time fixing things. They either work or I dispose of them.”

Those words felt more personal than Franky was comfortable with, but he quickly brushed his self-consciousness aside knowing Doflamingo wasn’t aware he hit the bullseye of Franky’s insecurities. But Franky, ever the terrible deceiver, must’ve had quite the look on his face, because Doflamingo definitely noticed something was off. He let go of Franky and quickly shrugged his own shirt off, tossing it away and once again directing his attention to Franky.

“Let’s stop bickering and just fuck,” he said. His blunt honesty made Franky drop all negative thoughts at once.

“Yeah.” 

Within seconds, they got rid of their remaining clothes and Franky got tossed to the bed. On all fours, his head was pinned down with force by Doflamingo’s large hand and he didn’t fight it.

“Stay still.” Doflamingo ordered and Franky chuckled a little. Doflamingo yanked his hair. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, sir.” Franky said unconvincingly, a shit-eating grin all over his face. “I’ll stay still, sir.”

Doflamingo turned just enough of Franky’s body around and smacked him hard across the face. Franky licked his lips, satisfied.

“You’re wasting your time trying to break me.” He whispered. “I can take anything you can think of.”

“Is that so?” Doflamingo didn’t sound too amused. “Why don’t we test that out?”

Franky finished turning around, now facing Doflamingo. He kicked the other’s hipbone, but not hard enough to actually hurt.

“Why don’t you drop that act? You know I’ll submit to you anyway.”

Doflamingo closed a hand around Franky’s neck squeezing hard enough to block his windpipe.

“If you don’t stop challenging me, I’ll kill you.”

Franky didn’t thrash under his grip. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even struggle trying to breathe. He simply lay there as Doflamingo pressed his neck harder, until he ran out of oxygen.

Doflamingo let go when Franky was on the verge of passing out.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He asked, sounding genuinely shocked. “You’d let me kill you simply to defy me?”

“Your loss if you kill me.” Franky whispered, voice rough and barely audible. “Breaking a new toy before you even get to play with it.”

His expression was completely different now. Doflamingo studied him for a few seconds, totally baffled. He wondered if the lack of oxygen had gotten Franky delirious.

“I can get anyone I want. There are dozens of people outside who would kill for a chance like this.”

Franky let out a throaty laugh. “You can pick someone else, I don’t mind.”

Doflamingo felt increasingly angrier, especially as he caught himself about to bark back that he didn’t want to pick someone else. As he stopped himself, he realized Franky was pushing his buttons because he already knew what was on Doflamingo’s mind. How awfully transparent of him.

“I know I’m difficult.” Franky continued. “Not everyone can handle a wild brat like me.”

Doflamingo huffed impatiently. “I told you I’m not interested in things that don’t work.”

“Then you don’t want me.”

Franky watched in amusement as Doflamingo became visibly more and more conflicted. He could swear he saw a vein on the other’s forehead protruding.

“The fact that you won’t give in.” Doflamingo spoke an inch away from Franky’s face, “It only makes me want you more.”

“Good.” Franky grinned, and made a brief pause after continuing. “Do you think I could break you?” he asked coyly yet with a hint of genuine interest in his voice.

Doflamingo scoffed like the other had just insulted 10 generations of his family. “Nothing can break me.” He retorted pointedly.

“Me neither.” Franky raised a hairless brow. 

Doflamingo mimicked the expression. “Are you really comparing yourself to me?”

“We’re not as different as you think.” Franky snapped back and Doflamingo looked away thoughtfully, grinning.

“Perhaps you’re right.”

Franky reached out and gently coaxed Doflamingo to turn his head and look at him again, pulling his chin.

“I’m submitting to you because I want to.” He explained, calm and clear, while stroking the side of Doflamingo’s face. “Not because I’m scared of you, not because I see you as superior to me, not because you used your authority to get me to cooperate. Simply because I love being fucked until I don’t know who I am anymore and I’ve been craving your delicious fat cock inside of me since I saw you at the bar.”

Then, he dropped both of his hands onto the bed; they landed right next to his face and he took a surrendered position.

“You may do whatever you please.” Franky offered himself teasingly. “And if you’re feeling particularly generous tonight, please… Fuck me hard and raw.”

“Turn around.” Doflamingo ordered as he withdrew and there was no room for defiance there.

Franky did as he was told, raising his hips and pointing his ass towards the other in an offering position. His head, pressed onto the mattress, was turned to the side and he could barely see Doflamingo behind him.

Slender fingers touched his ass, as if briefly evaluating him, Doflamingo shifted out of Franky’s sight and Franky heard him say,

“I’m going to ravage you.”

Before Franky could properly process Doflamingo’s statement — his  _ promise _ — a sharp slap hit one of his asscheeks with a ridiculous amount of force. Franky yelped, gripping the sheets underneath him, and felt his dick leaking precum as a reaction to the assault.

But he also didn’t have time to recover from  _ that _ , as immediately after slapping him, Doflamingo spread the other’s asscheeks as far apart as he could, and dove in, mouth and tongue connecting to Franky’s hole.

Franky whimpered and cried out hard, no inhibitions, as Doflamingo ate him out like he was absolutely starved. That obscene tongue of his was being put to good use pushing into Franky and surprising him with its strength.

“Fuck,  _ fuck _ , that’s so fucking  _ good. _ ” Franky bit onto his knuckles in an useless attempt to suppress his whimpers. Each time he moaned out, he could hear and feel a low, deep, satisfied groan reverberating from Doflamingo’s mouth through Franky’s entire body. He bit his hand harder, feeling his cock leaking helplessly.

Doflamingo cupped Franky’s balls in one hand while spreading Franky’s asscheeks with the other, thumb sitting on the edge of the rim. He wrapped his fingers around the testicles, massaging and squeezing only slightly past Franky’s threshold of pain and pleasure. It caused him to cry out and curl his toes as he went wild with lust.

After briefly retreating to get a lungful of air, Doflamingo dove back in his whole face shoved between Franky’s cheeks. He softly scraped his teeth over Franky’s rim, who yelped. Franky’s cock was throbbing painfully between his legs, hanging like it’d gotten ten times heavier in the past few minutes. 

Franky had never been particularly partial to rimming. But the way Doflamingo ate him out had him seeing stars; each swipe of his tongue felt like heaven on earth and Franky was dripping sweat even though he wasn’t moving at all. He had never had anyone do anything like  _ that _ to him and Franky had experienced a  _ lot _ of things in his lifetime.

The cry he let out was small, strained, but completely sincere. “Where have—” he panted, struggling. “Where have you been all my life?” Franky looked behind himself huffing out a weak, airy laugh.

Doflamingo pulled back slightly, chuckling so low Franky was barely able to hear it. “I could ask you the same thing.” He answered, tone just as quiet. “You’re heavenly—”

He stopped before he could finish the sentence, and just as Franky looked for his gaze in curiosity, Doflamingo pushed a finger into him. 

Franky shouted in surprise, and his shout eventually melted into a sweet moan. “—and that’s not a word I just throw around meaninglessly.” Doflamingo finished his thought.

Franky noticed Doflamingo’s finger slid in easily, smoothly. It was slippery— when did he get lube? Well, it didn’t matter. Franky stopped thinking about it as soon as Doflamingo pushed the second one in, meeting little resistance. 

“Look at how slutty you are, sucking me in like that.” Doflamingo commented, smiling endearingly as he scissored his fingers. 

“I’m ready, Doflamingo, I’m ready! Give me your cock, don’t make me wait any longer—” Franky cried and whined, no shame left in him — not that there was any in the first place. 

Doflamingo laughed sarcastically. “I don’t mean to offend you, but you  _ have _ seen my size. I’m assuming you still want to be able to walk for the remainder of the week? Be patient.” He reprimanded.

Franky groaned in frustration, gripping the sheets underneath himself. “I don’t care— Stop— fucking— underestimating me. I know I can take it, I’m  _ ready. _ ” The last word came out in a growl. “ _ Fuck me. _ ” He demanded and decided not to accept anything else.

Franky could hear Doflamingo chuckling behind him. “You’re only giving me more reasons to postpone your request, little brat.” His voice sounded like it’d been coated in honey. “But I’ll give in just this once. Mostly because I can’t wait to see what you’re really like.”

“I can take it.” Franky insisted pleadingly. Doflamingo gave him an endearing sigh and rubbed the fat head of his cock against Franky’s hole. Franky gasped loudly, cursing under his breath. Doflamingo poured more lube over his length and Franky’s entrance before pushing in.

Franky breathed, panted as he became fuller and fuller. Doflamingo made a point to slide all the way in in an unbearably slow motion.

Once fully accommodated inside of Franky, Doflamingo eased a hand down the other’s back, waiting for him to get used to the intrusion. Franky let out one shaky breath after the other, gripping the sheets so hard his knuckles went white.

“Tell me if you want to—”

“ _ Please. _ ” Franky whined, cutting him off. “Please. I want you so bad. Don’t make me beg anymore.” He slurred, drooling onto the sheets.

Doflamingo drew out, just barely pulling the head out, and slammed himself back in. Franky yelped, blabbering incomprehensibly. Doflamingo then leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Franky’s torso and burying his face between the other’s shoulder blades.

“You’re so hot and tight around me.” He sighed. Moving slowly at first and then setting an intense pace. He was already abusing Franky’s prostate with his absurd girth, making the other see stars. Franky moaned and screamed deliriously with pleasure.

“You’re fucking _huge_—” Franky declared, absolutely surrendered to the feeling of being stretched and filled. He was glad Doflamingo hadn’t prepared him as much as he should have, otherwise a lot of this delicious straining sensation would’ve been lost. 

Doflamingo reached under their bodies and took Franky’s throbbing, leaking erection in his hand, and felt the other’s remaining tension melt away with the new stimulation. “Good boy.” He whispered into Franky’s hair and then sunk his teeth into the crook of his neck. 

Speeding up his hips, Doflamingo made sure to bite all the expanse of Franky’s neck that he could reach; each time he left a new mark Franky rewarded him with a sweet cry and a sharp, shaky breath. 

Franky knew his entire body was going to be very, very sore. He couldn’t bring himself to care. “Harder, harder...!” He cried. His pleading tone so deliciously sinful, Doflamingo simply couldn’t deny his request.

It felt so good. Doflamingo was perfect; were his cock any bigger, Franky might feel uncomfortable, especially as the other wasn’t a particularly gentle lover (which he loved). But his length, his girth, the strength of his hips, the force of his pounding, his grip on Franky’s cock, his bites on Franky’s neck — they made the perfect combination.

At one point, Doflamingo pulled out to reapply the lube and Franky let out an impatient, frustrated whine, like a spoiled cat begging to be fed even though it’d just eaten.

“ _ Calm down. _ ” Doflamingo chided angrily. “You might not care about chafing, but I do.” Then, as he pushed in, he pressed an apologetic kiss on the back of Franky’s neck over the roots of his hair. “Feels better like this, doesn’t it?” He whispered sweetly.

And, indeed, the cool feeling of freshly applied lube did feel good. Franky agreed with a nod, turning his head around to catch a glimpse of Doflamingo’s face.

Much like himself, Doflamingo was covered in sweat, mouth hanging open as he panted, hot air filling the space between them. He smiled weak and brief. Leaning forward to claim Franky’s lips with his own. The kiss was messy and frantic with too much tongue and saliva to be pretty, but neither of them really cared. 

Doflamingo jerked the other off faster, slender fingers touching him softly but just enough to not feel like teasing. Every now and then, he spread Franky’s pre-cum over the length. “You’re leaking so much.” He broke the kiss to comment, taking his hand to Franky’s face to show him the sticky mess he’d made. He rubbed his fingers obscenely over the other’s mouth, having him taste himself. Franky licked his fingers clean with enthusiasm.

“Good boy.” Doflamingo praised again, pushing Franky’s shoulder so that he fell on his side. He lifted one of his hands and, using his strings, Franky’s leg was yanked apart from the other, spreading him open prettily. Biting his neck once more, Doflamingo resumed his pounding into Franky as he took hold of his erection and stimulated him harshly. He purposefully went overboard with it, making Franky cry out and bite his lip only to cover his mouth by biting his finger to muffle his moaning. Each sound Franky made had Doflamingo fucking him harder.

“I-I’m gonna cum.” Franky mumbled under his breath.

Having heard him perfectly, Doflamingo teased with a smile, “What’s that, boy?”

“I’m so close, fuck, I’m gonna cum.”

He tightened his grip around Franky’s erection and ghosted his lips over his ear, nibbling ever so softly as he continued thrusting into him ruthlessly. “Then cum.” 

Doflamingo felt Franky contract and spasm under him, body turning into a quivering mess as he reached the peak of his orgasm. He pumped the other’s cock to overstimulation, making sure to milk him dry. Franky moaned beautifully and Doflamingo watched unblinking, basking in the gorgeous sight.

When Franky’s moans turned to overwhelmed cries, he squeezed his eyes shut, knitted his brows together and frowned, but still made no effort to push Doflamingo away. Doflamingo pulled out and proceeded to jerk himself off over Franky’s limp figure.

Franky gasped dramatically, turning around and grabbing Doflamingo’s arm. His grip was so hard he could’ve easily broken a bone. “No!!!” He shouted, looking like he was legitimately about to cry. Doflamingo halted, more out of surprise than anything else, since Franky had consented so enthusiastically to everything they’d done so far.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Franky swiftly turned back, resting on his stomach, and spread his asscheeks with a hand. He looked over his shoulder pleadingly, still seeming like he was on the verge of tears, and begged quietly, “Please… I want you to cum inside of me…”

Doflamingo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, looking half angry and half amused. He pushed in abruptly and pinned Franky’s face down onto the mattress with the heel of his hand, thrusting quick and shallow.

“Never give me a false alarm like that again, you little shit.” He snarled, but Franky didn’t seem to register it over the sound of his own whimpering.

“Cum inside me.” He repeated, sounding like he would die if Doflamingo didn’t.

It only took a few more moments for Doflamingo to jerk his hips forward, fully seated inside of Franky, cumming with a deep groan and burying his face in the other’s messy, damp hair. His hot cum filled Franky to the brim; it felt heavenly.

Doflamingo remained unmoving for several minutes as his panting subsided; eventually, he moved his hand away from Franky’s face, noticing the red mark under where it’d been pressing. He hesitated briefly before pulling out, wondering if Franky would throw another fit, but ultimately concluded he looked completely satisfied so it was safe.

He rested next to Franky, eyeing him as he wondered whether the other would want to cuddle again. Franky turned to face him, but otherwise remained in the same place.

They looked at each other for longer than it felt comfortable, both of them waiting for the other to break the silence. Eventually, Franky sat up and swiftly mounted Doflamingo, hands over his chest.

“Round two?” He asked with a cheeky smile.

Thus, they fucked again, again and again. Franky came countless times and insisted to be bred each turn, getting to the point where Doflamingo didn’t need to use any more lube. They tried numerous positions, finding creative uses for Doflamingo’s Devil Fruit and making good use of Franky’s resistant body. Both insatiable, they quickly found out they were very compatible. Franky often had willing partners who sadly couldn’t match his stamina or others who didn’t go the extra mile in thinking outside the box. Generally, he was very easy to please, so those things hadn’t bothered him much in the past. However, Doflamingo might have set a new standard for him and he’d find it more difficult to accept anything less in the future.

When Franky glanced out of the window and saw the light of the rising sun peeking shyly through the curtains, he was only mildly startled. They were taking a brief break between one round and the next.

“I have to go home now.” He said apologetically.

Doflamingo just smiled. “Baby has a curfew.” He teased.

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I want to at least shower and eat before work.”

“Aye, aye.” Doflamingo tapped his ass softly. Then, he sat up and got out of bed. “You can use the bathroom to clean up if you want to.” He pointed to a door across the room. 

Finding his boxers, he slipped them on and tossed his pink coat over his shoulders. “Take as long as you want. I’ll be right back.” He said, swiftly leaving the room.

Reluctantly, Franky made a huge effort to get up. His back felt like the equivalent of opening a dungeon door that hadn’t been touched in a hundred years. He shuffled awkwardly to the bathroom, every inch of his body deliciously sore.

When he finally slipped into the bathroom, he took a minute to look around. Undoubtedly, this was the nicest bathroom he’d ever been in. And this bedroom, as nice as it was, was still just a guest room. Having slept over thin ass mattresses on the floor in moldy rooms his entire life, luxuries of any kind were all very foreign to Franky.

He’d always hated rich and privileged people, doubtlessly out of greed and jealousy, but after having spent such a pleasant night with Doflamingo, he wondered if befriending those kinds of people wasn’t a smarter move.

The strong, musky smell of sex, cum and sweat radiating from his body brought him back to the present. He eyed the shower, wondering if he should go home clean. Unsure if that was the right call to make, he stepped into the shower and let the stream of water hit his back.

After relaxing under the water for about two minutes, he looked for some soap and found such a colorful, diverse selection of products he had to read each label to be sure of what he was using. Everything smelled excellent and he decided to indulge in some fancy shampoo as well.

By the time he was finished, he wasn’t sure if he’d managed to clean up all of Doflamingo’s cum from within himself, but he settled for having tried his best. He dried his feet over the plush carpet, mildly entertained at the feeling of the soft little bristles between his toes. Grabbing the towel that was hanging on the door, he saw it’d been covering a full-body mirror. Franky took a minute to look at himself as he patted the towel over his body. 

He looked positively  _ wrecked _ . Fully covered in bites of all sizes and colors, from light pink to dark purple, scratch marks and light cuts, as well as two very bright red asscheeks from having been spanked for God knows how long, Franky figured he’d probably never returned home in such a state of disarrangement. 

He was very, very pleased.

Towel wrapped around his waist, he walked out of the bathroom to find Doflamingo spread over the bed sipping on a Martini — or some other fancy ass drink, it’s not like Franky could tell them apart. There were also three baskets with an arrangement of snacks and fruits over the desk as well as a glass water bottle with droplets condensing on its surface.

Franky swayed a bit awkwardly. “Ah, I was so grubby I decided to take a shower. I hope that’s alright.”

“Mm, don’t stress it.” Doflamingo replied casually, between one sip and the other. “You should eat something before you go.” He nodded towards the baskets.

Franky’s first impulse was to politely deny the offer, but the longer he stared at the food the more the food stared back invitingly. He realized he hadn’t even had dinner the previous night.

Instead, he reached for his clothes and got dressed.

“Cornbread’s fresh out of the oven, you should try it.” Doflamingo encouraged and Franky ultimately decided to follow his advice.

Franky took one bite, and, like everything else that happened in the last hours, that was all it took. He found himself stuffing the slices into his mouth, as if they would disappear if he didn’t. It tasted amazing, which Franky partially attributed to his hunger, but he couldn’t fail to acknowledge that it was a fine recipe.

He was reminded of the first time he ate Kokoro’s curry rice; Franky had been adopted as a malnourished child after a lifetime of neglect and for a while he was reluctant to eat, only nibbling on his food and saying he wasn’t feeling hungry.

That changed the day Franky woke up from a nap at the delicious, spicy smell of curry. When lunch was served he took a spoonful into his mouth, his curiosity speaking louder than his fear; he could still remember the way his heart raced and how he leveled the plate in record speed, asking for a second and then a third serving.

It was one of the moments where Franky realized that he had nothing to run from anymore; that he was safe now, that he had a family, that he’d no longer starve or sleep in the cold or be hurt, that he’d be loved and respected and cared for. His eyes had overflowed with tears and he sobbed as he shoved the spoon into his mouth over and over, as Tom, Kokoro and Iceburg watched him in silence.

As if on cue, the same tears brimmed his eyes as he stuffed his face with the delicious cornbread.

Ah… If he was this sensitive already, he should go home.

Conveniently realizing he’d eaten all of the cornbread, he drank some water and wiped his face with the back of his arm, willing his tears to stop.

He turned to Doflamingo, wiping his hands over his thighs and swaying slightly, not sure how to present himself. “That was really good. Thank you.” He said humbly, really hoping his body language indicated he was ready to leave and that Doflamingo didn’t insist on him staying.

“Don’t mention it.” He got out of bed, leaving his now empty glass over the bedside table. “Can’t send a guest home without feeding them.” He walked towards the door with a small smile on his face and opened it for Franky, gesturing outside. “After you.”

He walked Franky towards the deck, and by the time they stepped outside, the sun was shining, already strong on its feet, ready for a brand new day. Franky, on the other hand, was most definitely  _ not  _ ready for a brand new day. There were people on the deck working on different things; Doflamingo led him to a ramp that connected to the dock.

“Thanks.” Franky said cheerfully, “I had a lot of fun.”

“So did I.” Doflamingo tilted his head, trademark grin over his face. “Glad you decided to come.”

“Glad you decided to not level the city.” Franky raised a hairless brow, causing Doflamingo to chuckle.

After a brief moment of silence, Doflamingo asked, “Would you come over again tonight?”

“If I’m able to walk by then, sure.” He laughed.

“Good.” Doflamingo punctuated his speech with a nod.

Noticing the other wouldn’t budge, Franky grabbed Doflamingo’s feathery coat, pulling him down and kissing him. The kiss was chaste, a mere touch of lips, but he let it linger a bit. As they separated, Franky gave him a coy smile before descending the ramp.

“See you.”

Being unfamiliar with the feeling of embarrassment, Franky couldn’t really say he’d ever had a walk of shame; but then, as he’d established earlier, he’d never gone home in such a state. So he decided to call his journey home the walk of lack-of-shame, which he felt described his night pretty accurately.

As it was still early, more than likely only a few people would be at home, if any. Thus, he opened the door with some sense of relief.

And found the entire Family awake waiting for him.

“Good morning, bro!!” Kiwi immediately jumped to his arms, shamelessly opening his shirt and pointing at all the bites. “Did you get attacked by a Sea King?” She teased.

Mozu followed right after. “What a busy night, huh? Where were you?” She asked, and he was under the impression that everyone knew the answer.

A number of teasing comments and questions were tossed at Franky. “Tell us, bro, where did you party?” “There’s  _ nobody  _ in Water 7 who could do this to our bro!” “Came home smelling fancy and everything, huh?”

He knew they weren’t coming from a place of judgement and that they meant no harm, so he played along. “Yeah, yeah, c’mon now, spill the beans. Who spied on me?”

“We know our bro only showers at night when he’s going out.” Mozu said, and Kiwi added right after, “So when we heard you showering we were all curious.”

They giggled like schoolgirls, each taking care of finishing the other’s sentences. “The two of us followed you to see where you were headed.”

“And we were really surprised to see you board Doflamingo’s ship, bro!”

The room was once again in an uproar, and he tossed his arms fondly over both their shoulders, bringing them close. “You naughty, naughty girls.”

“Oh,  _ we’re _ the naughty ones? Look at you!”

He patted their backs endearingly and let them go, making his way through the crowded, noisy room. “Take the morning off, everyone. Go see the square play or something. I’m gonna get some shut-eye.” He said, dragging himself up the stairs. “Once again, only call for me if the house is on fire or someone died. Later.” He finished, closing the door behind himself and collapsing over the bed.

Just as he laid down, he heard the mighty engines of the sea train start and he scrambled to his feet, rushing to the window.

“Wow!” He chuckled. “Perfect timing, huh? Ah, I’m glad I was still awake and didn’t miss you today.” 

As usual, he watched the train leave until it disappeared in the horizon.

“I met someone really interesting, Tom.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a scene in Franky's flashback arc in the anime where he's eating curry rice enthusiastically as a kid, it's really cute, you should look it up.
> 
> Shoutout to my friend Harper (who probably won't see this), the half-giant Franky mentioned in the beginning is their OC Collin.
> 
> Next chapter coming out on September 28th! Stay tuned!


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good deeds don't make a good man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the fun sexy chapters, because shit's getting dark now (don't worry, there will be fun sexy chapters again... Eventually). Buckle up.  
Warnings of self-harm and mental instability for this chapter! Stay safe! xx  
As usual, huuuuge thanks to my amazing beta reader [JaynisKobb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaynisKobb)!!!

Overnight, Franky and Doflamingo became addicted to each other.

Franky made a habit of going back to Doflamingo’s ship whenever he was done with his tasks for the day. They’d fuck, drink, and snort coke off of each other’s chests. They’d play games, party, dance, and stay within touching distance all night. They’d also sit together and talk, sometimes without drugs, alcohol, or fucking simply enjoying being in each other’s company and getting to know each other. They’d share amusing stories of adventures and they’d take the freshly delivered bounty posters and rate how fuckable the criminals were. Franky made his way back home each day later than the previous, each time more disheveled than before.

His life wasn’t his own to live, but he couldn’t find it within himself to feel guilty for having fun.  


Since he got home later and later, Franky started unintentionally skipping his routine of watching the first train of the day leave the island and speaking to Tom.

One day, Franky returned home just as the sun was about to rise, and he was greeted by an unexpected visitor.

“I’ve been waiting since last night. Where were you?”

“What do you want, Iceburg?” Franky replied defensively.

“All I hear about is how you and my client are getting… Chummy with each other.” 

Franky sighed, pressing his eyelids in with his fingers. “It’s just fucking. Get over it.”

“I don’t care about that.” Iceburg took a step closer, and it was funny how much shorter he was now, considering that he’d been taller than Franky for most of their lives. “I don’t want you interfering in my business.”

“How am I interfering?” Franky rolled his eyes. “Do you really think I’d willingly sabotage you and the Galley-La?”

“This isn’t about the Galley-La.” Iceburg lectured back. “This is about establishing a good relationship with leaders from other countries, influential governors from the New World, and powerful people associated with the World Government, so that we can protect what we need to protect. Or have you forgotten about that?”

Franky opened his mouth to talk, but Iceburg spoke over him.

“Doflamingo is… Unstable.” He continued. “If you get on his nerves, which I’m fairly certain isn’t a difficult thing to achieve, there’s nothing stopping him from taking it out on the island.”

“I’m a big boy, I can handle myself.” Franky put a hand on his own waist. He liked to think of himself as mature enough to be over sassing others, but Iceburg had a special talent for pissing him off. “If I fuck up, I’ll take care of it, like I’ve always done. I won’t let him touch the island. I never asked you to clean up after me.”

“Like you’ve always done? This wouldn’t be the first time someone else takes responsibility for your actions and you know it.”

Those words were like a punch to his stomach, hitting him so hard that he immediately felt physically unwell. Franky looked away and clumsily stumbled backwards towards the door, a bit unaware that his body was doing that, the world around him spinning. 

He briefly considered the fact that Iceburg didn’t intend to say something hurtful, as they were always throwing insults at each other when they were younger and neither took it to heart. But, well, that was objectively something hurtful to say.

“Why the fuck would you say that?” He spoke just loud enough for Iceburg to hear him. 

Iceburg cautiously approached Franky, and he probably had that ridiculous apologetic look on his face that irritated Franky even more than when he was being intentionally hurtful, because Iceburg was horrible at being gentle. Franky took another step away from him and opened the door, grip on the handle so hard that he might crush it.

“Franky—” Iceburg started what Franky knew was going to be an extremely roundabout apology, and he decided to cut it short.

“Leave”, Franky mumbled, gaze still fixed on the floor.

As soon as Iceburg stepped out, Franky slammed the door so hard he could hear a screw falling off.

He immediately went upstairs to his room and locked the door. As he sat on the bed, he heard the whistle of the sea train. Franky stumbled to the window, opening it in a rush and managing to catch a last glimpse of the train as it disappeared into the horizon.

All the guilt Franky hadn’t felt in the past few weeks came crashing down at once.

He didn’t have the strength to hold himself steady, so he just dragged himself to bed as he broke down.

“Why did you have to do that?!” He screamed into his pillow, tears rushing violently. “Why did you offer yourself to bail me out? What kind of an example were you trying to set?!”

He felt irrationally frustrated at the lack of response, even though he knew he wouldn’t get one; not now, not ever.

Franky remembered how hopeless and afraid he felt when he was tossed away on Scrap Island. How worthless and unlovable he thought he was. And how incredulous he felt with each passing day living under Tom’s roof. How each time Tom reached out, it was never to strike Franky, only to give him affection. How Tom was patient and didn’t punish Franky if he made a mistake while learning. He thought about how Tom showed him pure, unadulterated love, and he thought about how empty and insignificant he felt without it.

He wondered if Tom shouldn’t have just left him there; Franky would’ve been dead in a few days, blissfully ignorant, without ever knowing happiness or love and without having that happiness and love taken away from him. On top of that, Tom would still be alive.

“Is that what you were trying to tell me?!” Franky rambled angrily, his voice barely able to keep up with his thoughts. “That there’s a reason why I keep getting left behind?! That love is always a double-edged sword?!”

He panted like he’d run a marathon, feeling exhausted but unable to calm down.

“ _ I _ should’ve been punished for that. Why didn’t you let me?! Why did you have to enable me so much? Laugh it off whenever I did something wrong?” Franky slammed his fist onto the pillow and grabbed it tightly. “Why did you have to be so tender and caring and give so much love to a spoiled, undeserving brat like me?!”

There was a chant of  _ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry  _ inside his head, but Franky wouldn’t dare ask for forgiveness he didn’t deserve.

⋆⋆⋆

Franky’s day dragged on for what felt like an eternity. His mood was horrible and all he really wanted was to get doped up and cuddle Doflamingo’s wide chest. Some small-fry pirates tried to steal from the local market and Franky beat them up so badly that the others from the Family had to stop him from unnecessarily killing the men.

Before heading to Doflamingo’s ship, he took an unnecessarily long shower. He tried to jerk off and release some of the tension but he couldn’t get his dick hard, which, in turn, added to his frustration and self-loathing.

Doflamingo’s crew had already adapted to welcoming Franky unannounced and he casually climbed onboard. As soon as he stepped on the deck, though, Franky knew something was off; the ship was eerily quiet. He asked the first person he saw.

“Diamante. What’s wrong?”

Diamante struggled with words. “The Young Master isn’t, uh, having such a good day.”

_ What a coincidence _ , Franky thought to himself. “Where’s he?”

“Ah, no.” Diamante lightly waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. “You should return tomorrow. There won’t be a party today.”

“It’s okay.” Franky said. “I just wanna see him.”

“It’s really not an appropriate time for guests.” Diamante insisted.

Franky was about to snap at him when Violet appeared, sending Diamante away with a glance. “Hey Franky.” She greeted with a friendly smile as usual.

“Hey. What’s going on?”

“I’m afraid the Young Master is feeling a bit under the weather.” She explained politely, one hand wrapped around the other in front of her chest. “It’s really nothing personal, he just prefers to be alone in these situations.”

“What situations?” He pressed. “Did something happen?”

“Well.” Violet pressed her index finger over her lips thoughtfully. “Something did happen, yes, but not today. A number of years ago.”

“Ah.” Franky took his time to absorb that information. “I see.”

“Yes. So, he won’t be able to keep you company today.” She gave him a polite smile.

“Is it okay if I go talk to him?”

She sighed nervously. “Franky, that’s not a good idea. He’s…” She searched for the proper words like she was walking on a minefield. “He can be… Dangerous. When he’s like this.”

“Let’s make a deal.” He suggested. “If he sends me away, I’ll leave.”

Violet’s nervousness was almost tangible. “I don’t think you fully understand what you’re getting yourself into.”

“You don’t know me.” He snapped back immediately. “Just tell me where the room is. If I get hurt, it’s on me. I won’t let him punish any of you for letting me in either.”

Violet pressed her eyelids hard and sighed in defeat. “Come with me.”

Franky followed her through the corridors of the enormous ship; eventually, they reached the master bedroom. Franky had never been here before.

“I believe he’s in the bathroom,” Violet said. She sounded so fearful that Franky wondered if he was actually underestimating the situation. He opened the door slowly and sneaked in. The lights were off, but he could still see a bit due to the moonlight shining through the enormous window. There wasn’t a door to the bathroom, only an archway separating the rooms.

Franky peeked in and saw a form that resembled Doflamingo slumped against the wall, sitting inside the bathtub.

“Doffy?” Franky called quietly; as he didn’t move or respond in any way, Franky tried turning on the lights. Doflamingo yelped and flinched, hiding his face.

“Okay. No lights.” Franky promptly shut them off again and looked over the sink counter for an alternative. He reached out for one of the scented candles and blew the smallest amount of fire, lighting it up. Then, he brought it closer to the bathtub, but not so close that it’d bother Doflamingo.

Sitting on the outer corner of the bathtub, Franky looked around. It seemed like he’d used the bathtub and it’d been drained; there was also a shattered glass bottle with bloody shards everywhere. Doflamingo’s hands were cut like he’d squeezed the shards, and he had a very nasty cut across his forearm, which was certainly self-inflicted. Surely enough, Doflamingo was still holding the offending shard in his hand and judging by how it’d been dipped in blood, the wound was even deeper than it looked.

Doflamingo’s body was limp against the wall; his skin and hair looked damp, and he was only wearing boxers and glasses. He didn’t look conscious at all. If he hadn’t reacted to the light only a minute ago, Franky would think he wasn’t.

“Hey.” Franky spoke softly not to scare him. “Are you here? Can you hear me?”

“Where is he?” Doflamingo asked, voice barely a mumble.

“Where’s who?” While he talked to him, Franky delicately took the shard from Doflamingo’s hand. He placed it outside the bathtub, in a corner where nobody would step on it.

“Barrel.” He replied like he wasn’t sure of his own answer. “Barrels…”

“I don’t know where he is.” Franky answered, not knowing if Doflamingo was actually speaking to him or if there was a different scenario playing out in his head.

“Damn.” He sounded so uncharacteristically weak. “We gotta find him.”

“What’s with him?”

“He has… We need to find him.” Doflamingo repeated himself, struggling. “We need, I need the Ope Ope.”

Franky wasn’t sure what that was, but it sounded like the name of a Devil Fruit, so he went with that.

“Don’t you already have a Devil Fruit?”

“Well, of course I do, silly.” He made a grimace as he smiled. It was so creepy Franky genuinely hoped he’d never see that expression again. “This isn’t,” He paused. “It’s not for me. It’s for Roci.”

“Okay.” Franky quickly processed the new chunk of information, utterly confused but still playing along. “Let’s find Barrels to get the Ope Ope for Roci.”

“Come to think of it, though...” He pouted, tilting his head to the side. “I don’t know where Roci is either. He vanished.”

“Do you wanna search for Barrels first, or for Roci?” Franky suggested after pondering for a few seconds.

“Oh no.” Doflamingo’s voice dropped.

“Something wrong?” Franky shuffled closer, placing his feet inside the tub.

Doflamingo turned his head from side to side like he was looking for something, his breathing getting heavier.

“Someone took— someone stole the Ope Ope.”

At that point, Franky was pretty sure Doflamingo was experiencing a flashback. He braced for whatever was to come.

“What happens now?”

“Hold on. Someone’s talking.”

Franky waited patiently and watched Doflamingo’s varying expressions.

“Vergo? What is he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to— What?”

He made a long pause and his frown turned into a blank, empty expression. “I see.” Then, he turned to Franky. “Rocinante betrayed me.”

“Oh.” Franky replied, not expecting that turn of events and not sure how to react.

“I guess I’ll have to…” Doflamingo interrupted himself mid-sentence with a gasp. “Oh!…” He covered his face like a child, curling into himself. “I already know what’s gonna happen...”  


He started panting and a hand grasped Franky’s forearm.

“No… I don’t want it…” Doflamingo’s other hand pressed his eyes under the glasses. He started shaking and his voice mirrored his nervousness. “I don’t want it, I don’t wanna do this again…”

Franky got closer and sat by Doflamingo’s side, resting his hand over the other’s.

“I didn’t wanna do it the first time… I had to but I never wanted it to get to that point…” Franky couldn’t tell if Doflamingo was crying, but it wasn’t entirely unlikely.

He mumbled unintelligibly for about a minute and then gasped loudly, breaking down. He supported himself on Franky’s arm, shuddering violently.

“Easy.” Franky whispered calmly, stroking Doflamingo’s hand.

Doflamingo leaped, holding Franky’s face between his hands as he cried.

“Why did you have to do that?!” he shouted, voice cracking. Franky was immediately taken back to that very morning and had to do everything he could to keep himself from spiraling down as well. No, he couldn’t. This wasn’t about him. He wasn’t here to feel sorry for himself. He had to keep himself together to help Doflamingo.

“I don’t think I ever told you, but I loved you. I did. You were the only family I had left…”

Franky tried to focus on the fact that Doflamingo was not talking to him, he was seeing someone else from his flashback in Franky’s place, and he most definitely wasn’t talking about Franky’s past, that was just Franky projecting. This had nothing to do with him, Franky reminded himself again.

“...Why did you make me kill you, Rocinante?!”

Franky unconsciously held his breath and he caught himself vaguely thinking that maybe Violet had been right all along.

On the other hand, if Franky hadn’t arrived, Doflamingo would keep dragging glass shards through his skin until God knows when, so Franky was probably right to have insisted to see him.

“My little baby brother…” Doflamingo cried. “You were just like Mother, kind yet so naïve. Did you not expect me to find out…?”

Franky, who was still being held by Doflamingo, reached out to wipe the other’s tears. He didn’t think about what he was doing, all of that was hitting home too hard. He was trying his best not to cry as well, but he really had no choice. He had to be strong. He had to.

“Fuck!!” Doflamingo stomped hard, rubbing his face below his glasses hard as he cried and made disgruntled noises. “It hurts… Rocinante, I’m sorry—”

Franky didn’t let him finish. Acting purely on instinct, he held Doflamingo’s face between his hands and pulled him closer; he kissed Doflamingo’s forehead, whispering into his hair, “It’s okay, Doffy, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.”

Cradling Doflamingo’s head in his arms, Franky pulled him to his chest and held him there. Doflamingo continued crying and mumbling out apologies, his grip on Franky’s shirt so hard he might rip it.

As he stroked Doflamingo’s hair, Franky took a moment to think about the situation he was in. Doflamingo had just confessed to having killed a relative and even though Franky knew the implications of that were huge, he didn’t have it within him to be angry or repulsed at the other. All that went through his head was helping Doflamingo out of that headspace. In a sudden moment of clarity, Franky realized this situation was like seeing himself from a third person’s perspective. The thought of anyone comforting him after knowing what he’d done was too much to handle.  


The thought of the paradox of wanting to soothe Doflamingo’s pain and negative feelings regardless of his horrible deeds, Franky knowing he himself would never accept that sort of care and affection from anyone almost made his head burst. He simply didn’t deserve it, point-blank. Perhaps Doflamingo felt the same way he did, but it didn’t matter. Franky wanted to help his friend.

He hugged Doflamingo tighter and felt the other’s arms wrapping around his torso. He stroked Doflamingo’s body softly as the other shivered. Franky was so out of it, he couldn’t even bring himself to cry. He focused on the flickering flame of the candle and listened to Doflamingo’s sniffles as he calmed down.

An hour or so must’ve passed when Doflamingo stroked Franky’s arm softly and looked up. Franky met his gaze.

“Franky?” He asked so quietly he barely sounded like himself.

“Hey.” Franky offered him a soft smile.  


Doflamingo pulled back slightly, looking around and trying to recognize his surroundings.

“Do you know where you are?” Franky helped.

He looked around, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “...Bathroom?”

“Yeah.” Franky nodded reassuringly. “Can you try smaller scale to bigger scale?”

“My room’s over there.” He pointed to the doorway. After thinking a little longer, he said, “We’re in the Numancia.”

“That’s right.” Franky scratched Doflamingo’s hair affectionately. “Do you know where we’re docked?”

Doflamingo thought a little bit harder. “...Is it Water 7?”

“Yeah.” Franky chuckled fondly.

“And Water 7 is in Paradise.” He concluded.

“Good.” Franky helped him sit up. “Do you remember what was happening before?”

Doflamingo pondered a little longer. He looked at his hands, cut and bloodied, and at his forearm. He let out a saddened, tired sigh.

“Why don’t we clean that up?” Franky offered in a friendly manner.

Doflamingo looked away.  


“That’s okay.” Franky replied patiently. “Just sit tight while I clean up this glass then, yeah?”

Doflamingo remained limp.

Franky got up and collected the larger pieces of the bottle; he found a small bin, where he tossed everything into, as well as the shard he’d taken from Doflamingo’s hand earlier. He wondered if there were smaller pieces he couldn’t see; Doflamingo probably wouldn’t want him to turn on the lights, so he’d just have to wash them away.

“Can you hear me?” Franky asked in a low tone. Doflamingo grunted quietly in response. “I’m gonna open the tap for a bit.” He explained, and Doflamingo nodded again.

Thus, Franky turned the faucet and let the water run. He sprinkled it with his hand all over the floor of the bathtub, making sure the blood would come off too. Then, he swiped his foot across it, pulling the water towards the drain. He felt little bits of glass sticking to his feet, too small to cut his thick, calloused skin. Franky repeated the process until he’d made sure it was all clean.

He looked back at Doflamingo, who was as still as a picture.

“Let’s take a shower?” He offered his hand for the other to take. Seeing his reluctance, Franky encouraged. “You’ll feel better. It’s refreshing, look.”

He reached out and carefully touched Doflamingo’s arm with his wet hand, allowing him to feel the cooler temperature. Eventually, he decided to get up, and walked under the shower.

Franky smiled in amusement seeing that Doflamingo was still wearing glasses. “Is it ok if I take them off?” He said, reaching up, and pulled them off after Doflamingo nodded. Franky set the glasses aside and looked at Doflamingo’s face, eyes closed under the stream of water.

He could barely see anything under the poor lighting, but he still admired Doflamingo’s gorgeous face for a good while, seeing all of it for the first time. His long, pale eyelashes looked very charming and pretty; they made him look softer, younger, and Franky wondered if Doflamingo didn’t want his image associated with those traits.

Franky reached out and took Doflamingo’s injured arm; with the soap bar, he started washing the cut.

“Sorry if it stings.” He said patiently. “Hang in there for just a minute.”

Doflamingo didn’t even flinch, he only opened his eyes narrowly and watched.

After Franky was finished, Doflamingo took a step back so that more water could fall over his arm. Franky wiped off the soap, and repeated the process with Doflamingo’s hands, picking out the tiny bits of glass that were stuck in the skin.

When he was finished, Franky closed the tap, stepped outside and grabbed a towel from the rack. He draped it over Doflamingo’s shoulders, offering a hand as he invited the other to step outside. Doflamingo followed carefully and wiped his feet over the plush carpet.

“Can you…” Doflamingo asked, his voice barely a whisper, and pointed weakly across the bathroom to a hanger where a pink, fluffy robe was hanging.

Franky quickly fetched the robe and helped Doflamingo put it on, making sure to slide it past his cuts carefully. Then, he opened the cabinet in search for some gauze. As he did, Doflamingo sat over the toilet lid and clumsily shuffled out of his wet boxers.

Finding some gauze, Franky applied the pads over the cut and bandaged his arm with the roll. He’d done that so many times on himself he was fairly certain he could do it with his eyes closed.  


The wounds looked nasty, especially the one on his arm. They’d probably need stitches. Franky considered bringing it up, but Doflamingo looked so drained that he decided the stitches could wait as long as he managed to stop the bleeding.

Once he’d finished bandaging the hands and arm, Franky took the time to look at Doflamingo. In turn, the other raised his gaze.

“Hey.” Franky said lovingly, reaching out and stroking the side of Doflamingo’s face with his thumb. Doflamingo closed his eyes and leaned in.

“I’m so tired.” He whispered, sounding like he’d used his last reserves of energy to formulate that sentence.

“Think you can walk to bed?”

Doflamingo answered with a groan, dropping his head forward and resting it over Franky’s chest, forehead right between his pecs.

“Take your time.” He replied, reaching out for the towel and patting it over Doflamingo’s damp hair.

Eventually, Doflamingo pulled back and held onto Franky to get up. Franky helped him towards the bed and Doflamingo crawled under the thick, fluffy blankets as soon as he got there. Franky sat on the side of the bed right next to him and watched him. Even though it was dark, he could see Doflamingo’s eyes clearly now. His irises were such a light shade of blue that they might as well be colorless. He had a sad, scared, childlike look on his face, and Franky wondered how that was even possible.

“I can stay until you fall asleep, if you want.” He offered.

Doflamingo reached from underneath the blankets and tightly grabbed Franky’s arm with a sense of emergency.

“Please stay the night.” He asked, sounding so uncharacteristically afraid.

“Okay.” Franky gave the other a little smile. “I’ll stay as long as you want.”

“Then don’t go.” Doflamingo moved his upper body to meet Franky’s arm where his other hand was. He rested his face there in an awkward position, like he wanted to wrap himself around Franky’s arm.

Franky chuckled and scratched Doflamingo’s hair with his free hand. “Now, don’t go falling asleep like that. You want me to lie down with you?”

The other nodded and Franky moved to get up.

“Is it okay if I go get some water first?” Franky asked. Seeing the reluctant expression on Doflamingo’s face, he added reassuringly, “You can count to a hundred, I’ll be back before that.”

Ultimately, Doflamingo nodded and let Franky go. Franky kissed his forehead and walked out of the room.

As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he was a bit surprised to find Violet, Diamante, Gladius and Machvise eavesdropping by the door.

“How is he?” Violet was the first to speak.

“Exhausted, pretty nonverbal. But he’s bathed, patched up, and tucked in.” Franky replied, moving quickly to find the kitchen and make it back in under two minutes. The four others followed Franky and bombarded him with more questions.

“We heard some shouting but it was about two hours ago, what did you do?” Gladius asked.

Diamante closely followed up. “Did you dope him up?”

“No, I didn’t dope him.” Franky replied defensively, somewhat offended by the question. “I just… Walked him through the crisis and then I helped clean the physical mess.”

“Did he not attack you?” Machvise asked as soon as they got to the kitchen. Franky grabbed one of the glass bottles filled with water from the fridge. He saw Diamante had grabbed an apple and a knife and snatched those from his hands too.

“No.” Franky sprinted back to the room.

“But how did you do that?!” Machvise yelped. “We’ve tried everything under the sun and it always makes things worse!”

“It’s just managing a crisis.” Franky shrugged. He opened the door by pushing it carefully with his hip, seeing that his hands were full. He stepped inside and before shutting the door, he quickly threw in a “Good night”.

“Ninety-four.” Doflamingo whispered, and seemed genuinely relieved to see Franky return. Franky joined him in bed, sneaking under the blankets after having placed the bottle on the bedside table.

“Here.” He said, having cut a thin slice off of the apple as if he was going to eat it himself. “I brought something to eat, you want some?” He brought the slice close to Doflamingo’s mouth, who took it in his hands and ate it slowly.

Then, he must’ve realized how hungry he was, because he reached out as Franky was cutting another slice. Franky promptly gave it to him, and then another, until Doflamingo had eaten all of the apple. Franky then offered him some water, and he drank quite a bit.  


By the time he was finished, Doflamingo looked more sleepy than emotionally drained. He rested his head over Franky’s shoulder, and Franky wrapped his arms around him, welcoming him closer and intertwining his fingers in the other’s thin hair.

Some time passed, and Franky was sure Doflamingo was already asleep when the other suddenly spoke.

“I wish you’d met Mother.”

That statement came so suddenly it almost gave Franky whiplash. He wasn’t sure what shocked him the most: the unprompted sharing of something so personal, or how vulnerable Doflamingo sounded.

“Yeah?” Was all he managed to say.

“Mm.” The other snuggled closer. “She was beautiful. Kind and selfless. Everything I’m not.”

Oh, no. Not this again. Franky couldn’t bear to think about his own trauma anymore that day.

“She also gave the best cuddles and head scratches. Always knew exactly what to do when we were sad or hurt.”

He opened his mouth to speak; no words came out.

“She died when I was eight. I’ve always been surrounded by people who would die for me if I told them to, but none who knew how to hold me and calm me down when I needed it the most.”

Franky audibly swallowed hard. Doflamingo clung tighter to him, like he was back to being an eight-year-old who needed his mother. Franky knew that feeling well. He hugged him back just as tight.

“I guess they were all too afraid of me to see how much I needed their help.”

Then, after a long moment of cutting silence, Doflamingo sighed deeply.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Franky kissed the top of Doflamingo’s head. He didn’t want thanks; he didn’t help him to be viewed as a savior. He hated that idea the most. He wasn’t a good person and talking a friend out of a flashback wouldn’t make him one. But he figured arguing with Doflamingo would do more harm than good, so he silently took the other’s gratitude.

Before Franky realized it, Doflamingo was already snoring softly, fast asleep. Enveloped by the thick, fluffy blankets himself it didn’t take much longer for him to follow suit, drifting off as exhaustion caught up to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooooooo boi.  
I'd like to clarify that while I do extensive research on mental illness, I personally don't struggle with PTSD so I don't know first-hand what a flashback is like. This is based off of testimonials that I've heard and read, but I like my writing to be as accurate as possible, so if anything I described is off the mark please let me know and I'll correct it! Thank you!  
Next chapter coming out on October 12th! Save the date! xx


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust is a complicated thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello & thank you for reading!  
As usual huge thanks to my insightful beta [JaynisKobb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaynisKobb)!!  
Only content warning for this chapter is a brief mention of self-harm at the beginning.  
Enjoy!

The harsh sunlight, barely filtered by a sheer curtain, rose Franky from his deep slumber.

His body felt so light that he actually took the time to appreciate the ridiculously soft bed and blankets, and came to realize he’d never slept in such a nice place before. Franky also couldn’t remember the last time sleep actually made him feel so well rested, considering he was a notoriously light sleeper.

He blinked lazily for a few seconds as he figured out where he was, and then turned his head around, spotting Doflamingo. The other man was sitting up, already wearing his glasses and a shirt.

“Good morning, Franky.” He said, his strong voice filling the entire room. He was back to his normal self.  


Still, he turned his head briefly and gave Franky a small smile without showing any teeth. He had his arm — the one with the deep cut — stretched out, bandages gone. Franky noticed the skin around the cut was being pulled through some invisible means. He turned his whole body around to look at it.

“Just suturing.” Doflamingo explained, the fingers of his free hand moving deftly. There was a brief moment of silence between them and Doflamingo spoke again. “Sometimes cold water isn’t enough to ground you, so you have to resort to more drastic measures.” He scoffed. “Except cutting doesn’t work either.”

“Sorry, I didn’t stitch you up yesterday.” Franky mumbled. In retrospect, though, Doflamingo really didn’t seem to be in a good enough place mentally to be stitched up at the time.

Doflamingo halted and slowly turned his head to face Franky again. Franky could see him raising an eyebrow from underneath the glasses.

“You’re apologizing?” He deadpanned.

Franky swallowed. “I feel like I could’ve done more.”

Doflamingo scoffed. “So calming me down, cleaning up my mess, patching me up, tucking me in, and feeding me wasn’t enough?”

Franky averted his gaze. “If you’re pissed at me, then it clearly wasn’t.”

“I’m not— I’m not pissed at you.” Doflamingo rambled and grabbed Franky’s wrist. “Look at me.”

Franky obeyed, even if somewhat reluctantly.

“Why did you help me?”  


Franky looked around as if searching for an answer. “Should I not have?”

“I’m pretty sure whoever brought you to my room heavily advised against it.”

“I just wanted to see you. I—” He paused briefly. “It doesn’t seem fair that you’re surrounded by people when things are good, but isolated when you need...” Franky paused for a second to think. “A friend.”

“I isolate for a reason.”

“Don’t like others seeing you vulnerable?”

Doflamingo hesitated and then looked away, like he’d just come to that realization for the first time.

“It’s okay. I don’t either. Especially not around my family.” Franky eased him. “I’m their leader. They look at me for answers. I can’t falter or be a weak link.”  


Doflamingo didn’t budge, so Franky reached out and touched the side of his face.

“But you’re not my boss. So it’s okay if you’re not strong all the time. You don’t have to be.”

After Franky spoke, Doflamingo seemed to have stopped processing anything, but forced himself to react coherently by swatting Franky’s hand away. He didn’t say anything and went back to stitching himself up.

Franky watched, waited, and when he realized Doflamingo wasn’t gonna break the silence, he asked, “So, do you… Remember anything?”

“From last night? Pretty much all of it.”

“Okay.” He wondered how to make his next point without stepping on a landmine. “You— You told me, um, about your brother. Well, you didn’t _tell_ _me_, but you— You talked about it. I figured, you should know that I know.”

“That’s not exactly a secret.” Doflamingo answered without missing a beat. At Franky’s dead silence, he added, “I… Appreciate your, uh, transparency.”

Franky hesitated for another minute, visibly shocked, before mumbling out a quick “Okay, good”.

He watched as Doflamingo finished stitching himself up, quite amazed by the refined technique. Then, Doflamingo shuffled back under the blankets, facing Franky.

Unable to read the other’s expression, Franky averted his gaze as he felt a bit awkward. “I should go.”

“We’ve never spent time together during the day.” Doflamingo mentioned vaguely.

Franky didn’t want to invite himself to stay and he felt uneasy for reasons he wasn’t really able to pinpoint. “I have work to do today...”  


“You came here yesterday to hang out and ended up babysitting instead. Let’s hang out now.” He insisted. As Franky remained silent, Doflamingo added, “Take a bath with me, at least.”

Franky swallowed hard and couldn’t help but crack a smile. “You really know how to tempt me, don’t you?”

Doflamingo smiled back. “I’ll go fill the tub.” He announced, sliding off the bed and trotting into the bathroom, ass peeking out from under his shirt. “Eat!” He pointed to a basket of pastries over his bedside table.

Franky took a minute to move, stretching lazily and shuffling to the other side. He sat up and picked up the basket, briefly analyzing the delicious snacks before taking one into his mouth. He took his time eating them and eventually heard Doflamingo calling for him with a singsong voice.

“Water’s gonna get cold!”

Dropping his clothes on the floor as he made his way towards the bathroom, Franky found Doflamingo spread out inside the tub, only his head and hands peeking out of the foam. Franky dipped one foot into the warm water and then the other, sliding into the tub and resting his back on the opposite side to where Doflamingo was. One of the massage jets was turned on, making more bubbles arise with the pressure.

He recognized the smell of the ocean, yet no windows were open.

“This foam smells a bit like salt spray.” He commented.

Doflamingo tilted his head, a characteristic smile over his face. “That’s right. These bath salts simulate salt water.”

It took Franky a minute to put two and two together, but he eventually did. “But you’re a Devil Fruit user.”

Doflamingo tossed his head back. “Bingo.”

“Is this okay?”  


“Yeah, yeah. They’re very diluted.” He moved his hand around in the foam slightly. “I enjoy the sensation. It’s kind of like when you take something and you can barely move your body.” He then raised his gaze very slightly. “But it’s okay, isn’t it? You’re here to save me in case I drown.” He chuckled.

Franky laughed along. “No body of water is safe without a lifeguard.”

Doflamingo slipped his hands under the water and they relaxed in comfortable silence for a while. Franky closed his eyes and let his head drop back, listening to the subtle humming of the jet and the water bubbling for several minutes.

Eventually, he felt Doflamingo kick his side softly. He lifted his head.

“Franky.” He called, voice sounding airy.  


There was something off about Doflamingo, but Franky wasn’t quite sure what it was. He had never seen Doflamingo exude such an energy. His head was tilted toward his shoulder in a way that Franky could see one of his eyes from underneath the glasses. Had Doflamingo’s neck always been that long and smooth?  


“Franky.” He called again, this time sounding like he was on the verge of pleading.

“What’s up?” He asked, curious and apprehensive in equal measures.

“Scoot over.”

Franky realized his mouth was dry when he tried to swallow. “There’s no space for us both there.” He blurted out nervously.

Doflamingo sighed almost unnoticeably and sat up, spreading his legs so that his knees peeked out of the water, resting against the corners of the tub.  


“C’mon.” He mumbled, tilting his head further. “Don’t make me ask again.” Although his choice of words could’ve been imposing, they came out in a whisper and didn’t sound commanding at all.

Franky moved as if on instinct, settling himself between Doflamingo’s legs as close as he could to the other. A slender hand touched Franky’s lower back underwater, causing him to shudder; Doflamingo chuckled at his reaction and started rubbing soothing circles over his skin.

“You’re not afraid of me.” Doflamingo stated, watching Franky. “Why?” Franky shrugged dismissively.

Doflamingo chuckled softly. “Everyone else is. The whole wide world.”

“I guess there’s nobody in the world like me.” Franky laughed softly, a bit uneasy with the path the conversation was taking.

“What you did yesterday.” Doflamingo raised his hand, settling it between Franky’s shoulder blades. “Nobody’s ever done that for me.”

Franky gradually stiffened up, as if every single hair in his body was standing.  


“I usually don’t let people in so quickly. This… Scares me.” He continued after a long pause. “And yet, I don’t want to push you away.” His hand was now on Franky’s shoulder. “I only want to pull you closer.”

Franky could feel his heart in his throat. Despite what Doflamingo was saying, all of Franky’s instincts were shouting at him to get up and run away without looking back.  


The previous day, he had uncovered a new side of Doflamingo, and now, yet another facet was emerging. Franky wasn’t disturbed by blood, violent flashbacks, self-harm, or confessions to having killed a family member. But this, whatever the fuck it was, terrified him to the bone. He couldn’t handle this.

“I’m not good at showing gratitude.” Doflamingo’s strong voice pulled Franky out of his trance. “But either way, you’ve earned this.” He chuckled cheekily.

“It’s okay, you don’t have…” Franky started, his voice slowly fading out when he was presented with a large brown glass vial. He stared at it for what felt like a whole minute and then asked. “What’s this?”

Doflamingo smiled as if Franky had just missed the punchline to the century’s funniest joke. “It’s oil, Franky.”

He blinked at the bottle of oil and then at Doflamingo, gaze going back and forth a few times. “I’m not following.” He confessed, afraid of sounding too oblivious if he said anything else.

Doflamingo laughed endearingly, covering part of his face with his hand. Then, he tossed his body forward, hand landing right over Franky’s chest; he rested it there comfortably, like that was where it belonged. Then he looked straight at Franky, their faces barely an inch apart, and said, “Fuck me.”

Franky sputtered in shock. “Oh.”  


As he hesitated to reply properly, Doflamingo tilted his head curiously. “Do you bottom exclusively?”

“No.”  


“Didn’t think so.” He leaned back again, spreading his legs further apart, if that was even possible.

Franky swayed, clutching to the bottle. He didn’t bottom exclusively, that much was true, but he hadn’t topped in a while. “I’m wondering if you’re okay to consent. You know, because of the salt water.”

Doflamingo chuckled. “My body feels a bit heavy, but my mind is clear, Franky.” He did that thing again where he exposed his neck and gazed at Franky from underneath the glasses. “Do you not want this?” He smiled coyly, voice sounding absolutely delicious and tempting.

Franky struggled with words once again. “This is just very sudden.” He fidgeted with the vial and added. “You don’t need to repay me with sex, you know. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Then forget anything that happened yesterday.” He suggested it like it was the simplest thing in the world. “All that matters is the present. And right now, I want to relax. I want to surrender. And I want to be with someone I trust.”

_ Someone I trust. _ Those words echoed in Franky’s mind. He wished trust was a physical object so that he could preemptively shatter it. He didn’t want Doflamingo to misplace his trust. He didn’t want Doflamingo thinking he was reliable. He didn’t want to be responsible for another person’s feelings. He didn’t want to inevitably disappoint him.

As Franky still hesitated, Doflamingo leaned forward, cupped his face between his hands, and whispered against his lips, “Please take good care of me.” before locking their mouths together in a kiss. Franky was grateful for Doflamingo’s straightforwardness, because as soon as their lips touched, he realized how much he wanted this.

He leaned forward, slowly coaxing Doflamingo to lie back, and settled himself in a more comfortable position between the other’s legs, their hips now pressed together.

One of his hands found Doflamingo’s chest, and he rubbed his thumb over the other’s nipple. Doflamingo let out a soft hum against Franky’s lips, tucking one of his legs behind Franky’s knee and pressing him closer.

Franky couldn’t stop thinking about what Doflamingo had said earlier. About how he’d bared his heart unprompted. About what this could grow into. About what Franky  _ didn’t  _ want this to grow into.

Yet, despite his better judgment, Franky didn’t stop. He didn’t pull away or leave. As it turned out, they were both deeply scarred, affection-starved souls. Franky craved this, and he was too weak to say no to temptation. Later, he’d lecture himself about how little he deserved that affection; later, he’d listen to the Iceburg in his head telling him that Doflamingo was a ticking time bomb and there was just no way that’d end up well for either of them; later, he’d worry about later. Right now, he only wanted to delve his tongue deeper into the other’s sweet mouth, enjoy the warmth of his body and make him feel good.

Doflamingo entwined his fingers in Franky’s hair as they kissed, sighing again and again, pulling Franky closer and closer. Franky’s hand slid down Doflamingo’s side and made its way to his inner thigh, stroking the soft skin with his thumb; he could feel Doflamingo’s hardness twitching at the touch. Franky smiled softly against his lips and pulled back only the slightest, foreheads touching.

“Getting eager, are we?” He teased.

“Don’t be cheeky.” Doflamingo chuckled endearingly, running his hand along the side of Franky’s face.

Stealing a quick peck from his lips, Franky reached out to grab the vial of oil and popped it open by pulling the cork with his teeth. He oiled up his hands generously while Doflamingo watched him with interest.  


“Do you think this is enough?” He showed the other his hands after having used over half of the bottle’s contents. At that point, adding any more oil felt redundant, but Franky wasn’t sure if he should anyway.

“That’s fine.” Doflamingo answered with a small smile.  


Franky then closed the space between them, one hand sliding between their bodies and getting hold of Doflamingo’s erection. The slippery feeling of the oil eased the awkward friction of the water, and Doflamingo let out a shaky sigh, slender arms wrapping tightly around Franky’s body like he would die if the other pulled away.

Franky caressed him in long, slow strokes, setting a leisurely pace, lips kissing their way up to Doflamingo’s neck; Doflamingo readily tilted his head, giving the other more space. When Franky scraped his teeth ever so gently across the skin, Doflamingo gasped more loudly than he’d intended, promptly shutting his lips.

“It’s okay.” Franky encouraged. “Please don’t hold back. Let me hear you.”

His lips reluctantly fell open and he sucked in a sharp breath. “ _ Franky _ .” Doflamingo sighed.

“That’s right.” Franky whispered between one kiss and the next. “I’m here.”

“You’re here.” Doflamingo echoed, voice so small Franky barely heard him. “With me.” He turned his face towards Franky, nuzzling him lightly. Franky faced him, once again sealing their lips together in a kiss that drew a soft moan out of Doflamingo.

Franky’s free hand calmly slid its way down Doflamingo’s inner thigh to his ass until his fingertips reached his entrance. He circled it lightly, tentatively with his fingertip before carefully pressing in watching for Doflamingo’s reaction.

“Okay?” He asked quietly, their faces barely an inch apart. Doflamingo gave him the slightest nod, so he pushed in further.

“For someone who only allows me to prep the bare minimum, you’re being surprisingly careful.” Doflamingo whispered with a chuckle, causing Franky to laugh as well.

“You did say you care about chafing.” He retorted playfully, slowly drawing his finger out and pushing it further in. Meanwhile, his other hand worked on Doflamingo’s cock just as tenderly.

“Are you always so gentle?” Doflamingo pulled his hands out of the water and settled them over Franky’s shoulders.

_ What’s the alternative? _ Franky thought to himself, already feeling the dread settling in.  _ Hurting someone who trusts me? _

“Guess so.” He answered quickly, trying to will the paranoia away as he lowered his head. He leaned down to kiss Doflamingo’s collarbone, pressing a second finger in and listening to the other’s gasps. Doflamingo’s hands made their way to Franky’s hair again, never stopping in one place for too long. His fingers intertwining in it and tugging slightly.

Franky could feel the Doflamingo shifting, but chose to remain where he was. Still kissing the expanse of the Doflamingo’s skin while he slowly began to scissor his fingers, easing him open. Then, one of Doflamingo’s hands reached between their bodies and an oil-slicked grip took hold of Franky’s cock. It was only then that Franky realized just how hard he was; his cock throbbed in the other’s hand, begging for more attention.

“Fuck.” Franky breathed and when he looked up, Doflamingo was smiling.

“You’re so cute.” Doflamingo whispered and it sounded like a confession. His free hand trailed up towards Franky’s cheek, cupping it. “So sensitive.”

Franky averted his gaze in embarrassment as quickly as he could, focusing on scissoring Doflamingo. The other chuckled softly, thumb caressing Franky’s cheek while he still lazily stroked his cock.

Doflamingo was so relaxed that Franky soon concluded he was ready. He pulled his fingers out and applied some more oil to his cock before slowly pushing in, looking at Doflamingo while he did. The other’s lips parted and he moaned deliciously.

Once fully seated inside of Doflamingo, Franky requested, “I wanna see your eyes.”

“Ah…” He hesitated, eyebrows pinching together. “Perhaps some other time. I would like to avoid a debilitating migraine if possible.”

“Oh. I see.” Franky brushed his palm over Doflamingo’s chest thoughtfully, like he was searching for something. “In that case,” He moved his palm up towards the other’s face, stroking his upper lip and cheek softly. “Keep your eyes on me.”

“Okay.” Doflamingo answered so quietly he almost sounded fearful. Franky started moving, still staring into Doflamingo’s shades. Even though they got in the way, Franky had learned how to read his expressions; his parted lips and knitted brows told Franky he was definitely enjoying it.  


Franky allowed his hands to roam as he moved his hips, thrusting so gently it felt like time itself was slowing down. Doflamingo’s fingertips stroked Franky’s scalp, and he tugged the other’s hair lightly when they once again locked their lips together. Moaning softly into each other’s mouths, Franky pushed each time a little deeper, angling his hips to tease Doflamingo’s prostate.

Eventually, when they parted for air, Doflamingo linked their foreheads together as he cradled Franky’s head between his palms, stroking the sides of his face with both of his thumbs.

“Feels so good.” He sighed, nuzzling the other and being nuzzled back. “You’re so good to me, Franky.”

_ To you _ , Franky thought to himself. He looked away, sighing sadly. Doflamingo promptly coaxed the other’s chin up.

“There.” He spoke gently, stroking Franky’s cheeks. “Now I can look at you.”

Once again, Franky caught himself thinking about how he was able to handle hours of raw fucking, all sorts of physical and psychological degradation, pushing his body to every conceivable limit, yet he was unable to handle such gentleness. He felt exposed, helpless, scared.

Franky couldn’t help closing his eyes as he went back to when he first learned what kindness was, when he was taken in by Tom. Then he reminded himself that he had killed the very person who taught him what love was. Then he told himself he had to reject any kindness that came his way, because he didn’t deserve it.

But boy, did he crave it.

From the hands that cradled his head to the legs wrapping around his hips, everything about Doflamingo yearned for Franky. It pulled him closer and made him want to run at the same time.

“Franky, look at me.” Doflamingo demanded, crashing the dense atmosphere between them in a second. Franky opened his eyes, blinking at the other.

“Do you want to stop?” He asked with authority in his voice, yet his hands still held Franky’s face gently. As Franky hesitated to reply, he added, “I can tell something’s wrong.”

“I’m okay.” Franky smiled bitterly, absolutely unconvincing.

“What is it, then?” Doflamingo insisted.

Franky didn’t reply. He only looked away and let out a sigh he barely tried to repress. He recomposed himself in a second and turned to Doflamingo again. “Let’s continue.”

Doflamingo did not look pleased. He eyed Franky for a moment before asking, “Do you really want to do this?”

“I do, Doffy.”

“Are you upset?” He tilted his head, trying to catch Franky’s gaze.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not you.” Franky attempted to offer him a reassuring smile, but ended up just pursing his lips instead. “I’ll be fine.”

_ This isn’t about you, this isn’t about you, this isn’t about you,  _ Franky told himself. He put on the best mask he could conjure and repeated, “Let’s continue.”

Doflamingo couldn’t hide his disheartened sigh, but he still pulled Franky closer and hid his face in the crook of the other’s neck, allowing him to continue.

With each kiss he placed over Doflamingo’s skin and with each gentle touch to the other’s face, Franky felt guiltier, dirtier. What a hypocrite he was. No gentleness in the world would wash the blood off of his hands. It felt so wrong to have this.  


He filtered Doflamingo’s soft cries and praises out. He couldn’t let that interfere; he wasn’t here for his own pleasure. He was here to take care of Doflamingo.  


Doflamingo came quietly calling out for Franky’s name. Franky pulled out but Doflamingo quickly grasped his erection and made the Franky cum too.

Franky rested over Doflamingo’s pectorals and couldn’t help but doze off as the other rubbed his scalp soothingly. Some time later, he woke up, startled from a dream he immediately forgot about, and the cold water startled him even more. When he came to it, Doflamingo was watching him curiously, supporting his back with his palm.

“It’s okay.” Doflamingo soothed him. “It’s just a dream.”

Franky rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I was dreaming?”

“I think so. You were mumbling in your sleep.” He explained patiently.

Franky blinked and took a few more minutes to ground himself and in the meantime, Doflamingo searched for his hand and held it.

“Franky.” He eventually called, rubbing the other’s hand with his thumb gently. Franky looked at him, and he hesitated for a second before asking, “Are you okay?”

He wasn’t gonna say no, even if that was the truth. But, he wasn’t falling down the spiral of self loathing, so that was a plus.

“I’m alright.” He nodded. “I’m sorry if I ruined it.” He meant it. He was supposed to be stronger than that.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry if I coaxed you into doing something you weren’t ready to do.”

“No, no.” Franky shook his head. “That’s okay. I guess I’m just…” He waved his hand vaguely, failing to find the proper words. “It’s not your fault. I promise.”

Doflamingo seemed unconvinced, so Franky continued.

“I could’ve stopped if I wanted to. But I didn’t want to.” He paused. “I wanted to make you feel good. You’re always spoiling me, so it’s only fair.”

The other chuckled softly. “I like spoiling you.” He leaned over and kissed Franky’s temple. “And what you told me goes for you too, you know. You don’t owe me anything.”

_ As if I’d ever accept the same treatment I give you, _ Franky said to himself. Instead, he just smiled at Doflamingo.

Soon, he got up and reached for the towel, stepping out of the tub.

“Ah— Are you leaving already?” Doflamingo didn’t hide his disappointment.

Franky offered him a warm smile. “Duty calls.”

“Will you be back tonight?” He inquired eagerly.

“We’ll see.” Franky replied. Even though he always returned, he always gave Doflamingo a vague reply.  


He cleaned himself and stepped out of the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came back fully dressed and stole a peck from Doflamingo’s lips.

“See you.” Franky said, as he always did before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming out on October 26th! :)


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Franky knows how to give, but doesn't know how to receive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoy writing chapters like this, with a lot of introspection. I hope you'll enjoy reading it too! Thank you to my awesome beta [JaynisKobb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaynisKobb) for their continuous support!

Doflamingo and Franky had become completely inseparable. They fucked so much — in every room inside the ship, on the deck, in the shower, by the swimming pool. They fucked while high, while drunk, while sober; they fucked slowly, frantically, lazily, passionately. They knew each other’s bodies like they knew their own, and they were so compatible in bed that Doflamingo stopped inviting other people over, stopped throwing parties and organizing orgies. Instead, all his attention and free time went to Franky. In turn, Franky barely spent any time with the Family when they weren’t working. More and more often, he slept in Doflamingo’s ship, in his arms. Franky visited every single day.  


Until he didn’t.

Leaving the ship by sunrise, he’d told Doflamingo he needed to sort a few things out and might not come over for a day or two. On the third day, Doflamingo waited with the built-up anticipation of a child on Christmas eve, but Franky didn’t come. On the fourth day, Doflamingo called. Nobody picked up. On the fifth day, he brooded in his room all day, hoping Franky would sense his negative energy and arrive in time to make him feel better. Franky didn’t show up. On the sixth day, he shot up by himself and somehow managed to feel even worse than all previous days combined. On the seventh day, fearing the worst, he decided to go and see for himself what the hell was going on.

Even though he’d never been there, it wasn’t difficult to spot the Franky House. Doflamingo politely knocked and pushed the door open upon realizing it wasn’t locked. The chattering voices inside came to a halt when they saw him, everyone’s eyes wide in surprise.

“Good afternoon.” He broke the silence politely. “As you may have guessed, I’m here to see Franky.”

One square-haired girl jumped out of the crowd to appease him.

“Mister Doflamingo!!” She was sweating bullets. “I’m so sorry!! Our bro hasn’t left his room in days!! We’re not allowed to let anyone in or disturb him!!”

Doflamingo frowned in confusion. Another nearly identical looking girl showed up seeming just as nervous as her lookalike.

“We’re not supposed to tell you this, but he told us not to pick up the phone if you called and send you away if you showed up!! Please don’t insist on seeing him, he’ll be very angry at you and us!!”

“What happened to him?” Doflamingo asked quietly, a bit taken aback by that wave of information.

The girl who’d spoken first glared at the other one for a long silent moment and then turned back to Doflamingo to explain.

“He doesn’t tell us a lot, to be honest. But he’s not sick or dying, so don’t worry about that.”  


Doflamingo couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth. He pondered for a second. Whatever was going on, Franky clearly didn’t want to see him. Not only did he not visit, he also made every effort to keep Doflamingo away. That thought made him feel bitter. He thanked the girls, turned around and left the house angrily.

Halfway through Scrap Island, something occurred to him. When he had flashbacks, he always refused any sort of help, but Franky had gone over anyway and taken care of him like nobody else had. Maybe it was the case that Franky didn’t want company, but he needed it anyway.

Those girls however would definitely make things harder, so he tried something else. He walked around the house and surely enough, he found an open window on the second floor. Using his strings, he propped himself up to the windowsill, his large frame blocking the sunlight from entering the room.

Franky was lying in bed, wearing only grey briefs, back turned to the window.

“Go away.” He mumbled without bothering to turn around.

Taken aback by the poor reception, Doflamingo stepped into the room with a frown. “Is that how you’re greeting me after a week of not seeing me?” He tried his best not to let the bitterness seep through to his voice, failing miserably.

“I really don’t want to deal with this right now. Please leave.” His voice sounded rough and exhausted, and he punctuated the sentence with a sniffle.

“I was worried about you.” Doflamingo said, sounding calmer now. “I’m still worried about you.” He circled the bed, sitting next to where Franky was.

“Didn’t the girls tell you I’m not dying?” Franky hid his face in the pillows.

“But you’re not okay either.” He pointed out. “You were there for me when I needed it, so I want to be here for you now.”

“I don’t need you.” Franky retorted, sounding angrier with each sentence. “I’m not gonna get better soon. I suggest you find a replacement for me if you’re getting lonely.”

“Fuck off, Franky, you’re not disposable to me. That’s why I’m here.”

“ _ You _ fuck off!!” He snapped and jolted up, getting out of bed and standing in front of Doflamingo. “You said you don’t waste your time with things that don’t work, right? I don’t fucking work. I was born broken and I’ll die broken. I’m not worth your time! Leave me alone!”

Doflamingo took a few seconds to absorb the look on Franky’s face. He’d seen Franky nearly passed out drunk, fucked silly, so high he couldn’t talk, all sorts of disheveled and undignified. But Doflamingo had never seen Franky look anything like  _ this _ . Face so swollen from crying that he was barely recognizable, body language screaming fear, his whole frame shuddering. He’d seen Franky vulnerable many times, but never so fragile. He couldn’t bring himself to be angry at the other.

“Is that why you’re upset?”

Franky scoffed and tears started flowing down his cheeks like he had no control over them. “Do you think I’d stop seeing you now because of something you said months ago?” He gritted his teeth, tightened his fists. “Has it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, not everything is about you?!”

“Then why the fuck are you attacking me?!” He swiftly got up, and had to hunch over slightly to keep his head from hitting the ceiling.

“You’re not welcome here!” Franky gave him a hard shove. “I want to be alone! Why is that so hard to understand?”

“You’ve been alone for a week and you’re clearly not getting any better! Do you really think I’m going to turn my back to the only person who’s ever helped me?!”

Franky gave him another hard shove, pushing him towards the window. “I don’t want your help. I don’t want anyone’s help! Nobody in the world can get me what I need!” He looked angry and like he was ready to fight.

“Franky, stop!” He grabbed Franky’s wrist as the other was about to push him again. “You’re angry at me for no reason! I’m not leaving until you’ve calmed down.”

“See?! All you’re trying to do is help me! This is what I do to people who help me. Because I’m an ungrateful fuck who ruins every good thing I have!”

Doflamingo watched him in surprise and confusion, his mouth ajar. He had no idea what to say. Letting go of Franky’s wrist, he vaguely wondered if he was a bad friend.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” He mumbled.

“Be yourself!! Be selfish! Throw away the things that don’t work! Find someone else to fuck! And leave me alone!!!”  


He continued watching Franky as each of his reactions were more unexpected than the previous one. He watched as Franky’s expression turned from anger to desperation and then pure sadness.

“Please don’t care about me.” He sobbed so hard his words came out unintelligibly. “Keep me as a disposable fuck. Don’t get attached to me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Doflamingo looked at the floor. How could he not care? 

“I can’t help it.” He answered, and wondered where all that was coming from. Franky was so sweet all the time. He couldn’t hurt a fly. “Why would you hurt me, Franky?”

Franky sobbed harder and wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering so hard he was barely able to stand still.

“I can’t… H-help it.”

Taking a step forward and then another, Doflamingo embraced Franky, welcoming him to the warmth of his chest. Franky cried harder and harder, and pushed Doflamingo away.

“Franky.” He insisted, trying to hug Franky again, only to be pushed away a second time.

“Ple-ease.” Franky took a step back, retreating towards himself.

“Franky, let me help you.”

“No.”  


“It kills me to see you like this.” Doflamingo mumbled.

This time, Franky shoved him away so hard that Doflamingo stumbled across the room, hitting his back against the wall.

“Don’t fucking pity me!!!” He shouted, an infinity of emotions rushing across his face as his chest heaved intensely.  


Doflamingo slowly got up, still watching Franky closely.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this.” He said patiently, yet with a hint of anger to his voice. “But I don’t care. I’m not leaving you. Let’s see who’s more stubborn, you or me.”

Franky’s whole body tensed up and he took a fighting stance.

“Franky, I’m not here to hurt you.”

“You’re overstepping my boundaries. I don’t want you here. Leave.” Franky snarled.

Doflamingo took a step closer, and Franky pointed his fist forward, hand compartment opening and revealing four muzzles. Doflamingo halted, and then raised his hand, fingers bent ready to strike.

“I don’t want to fight.” Doflamingo confessed.

“Then leave.”

“And let you stay here drowning in your tears? I don’t think so.”

“I can’t believe how selfish you are.” Franky narrowed his eyes, voice charged with bitterness.

“How am I selfish?!” Doflamingo snapped, forgetting about his hand as he stomped forward. “I came here to help you!!”

“And yet you seem to be more concerned with telling me how solicitous you are than actually caring for me! Can’t you see you’re making this worse? You don’t know what’s best for me better than I do!!”

“Just take a look at your state! You don’t know how to take care of yourself!!”

“You don’t know  _ anything  _ about me!!”  


Franky charged forward, and as he did, Doflamingo swiftly tied his strings around Franky’s weaponized arm. He didn’t, however, see Franky’s other fist coming, propelled forward with a chain. Knuckles landed over Doflamingo’s cheekbone, his glasses shattering under the unforgiving fist, frame being thrown across the room.

For a moment, the entire world fell silent. Franky watched as a droplet of blood trickled down Doflamingo’s nose and dripped onto the floor. Time and space felt warped.

Doflamingo touched his cheekbone, and then looked at the smear of blood on his fingertips.

“Ah.” Was all he said, in a voice too small to reveal any emotion.

Without meeting Franky’s gaze, he shaded his eyes with his hand and slowly turned around, leaving through the window the same way he’d walked in.

Franky felt himself becoming detached from his body as everything around him became numb, his vision blurred.

He couldn’t tell if he’d dissociated or straight up blacked out when he came to it the following morning. He had a horrible migraine and he’d apparently been lying on the floor all along. What woke him up was the unmistakable sound of the sea train taking off. He couldn’t bring himself to get up. Then, he laughed.

“I can’t even give you that much, huh?” He sniffled, chuckling at himself. “Can’t even drag myself to the fucking window. I owe you my life, and I can’t even get up to give you good morning.”

Despite his words, Franky remained unmoving.  


“And I’m sure you’d be so understanding. So forgiving. I’m sure you never hated me.”

He sighed deeply.

“What day is it? Is it today? Tomorrow?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It just occurred to me that I never learned the day of your execution. I never had confirmation of your execution either. Not having that closure… That’s what hurts the most.”

He was so emotionally drained that he couldn’t cry, only silently endure the stabbing pain in his chest.

“Six years, then. Feels like a lifetime ago. It feels like I was someone else entirely.” Franky sighed. “There’s nothing about the life we had that I don’t miss. I miss pranking Iceburg, eating Kokoro’s curry rice, and working on projects together. I miss building ships. I miss my reckless innocence.”

A single tear rolled down his cheek, but he didn’t sob.

“I miss you above everything else.”

Then, after a long pause, his voice came out barely audible.  


“I love you. I hope you know that.”

He sniffled and slowly sat up. Looking around, he spotted Doflamingo’s broken glasses on the floor.

That sight caused Franky to surge to his feet, grab the glasses and rush downstairs. Kiev and Zambai were arguing over something trivial but immediately stopped when they saw Franky.

“Bro!!” They sounded in unison, rushing over to him. “Good to see you!” “Let’s get you something to eat!” They said at the same time.

“I’m just gonna...” He protested.

Without bothering to let him finish, they both dragged Franky to the kitchen, and he was so weakened he couldn’t even fight back. They sat him down and served him some heated-up curry rice, sitting by the table with him.

“We tried to lure you out with the smell of curry yesterday, since we know it’s your fave.” Zambai told him.

“There was some shouting…” Kiev mentioned vaguely. “We thought some comfort food was in order.”

“Kiwi even considered going upstairs to check on you. But she ultimately decided to keep her neck intact.” Zambai chuckled, lightening up the mood.

As Franky ate slowly, the other two watched him with concern. He felt mildly ridiculous for having these two huge thugs babying him, but he was also glad they were around to keep him in check. He remembered Iceburg, who had acted as 85% of his impulse control for most of their lives. Iceburg smacked him and called him names, but whenever Franky accidentally slammed a hammer over his thumb or slipped and fell from a tall scrapheap, Iceburg always made extra sure he hadn’t seriously hurt himself. The concern in his eyes was undeniable, although Franky knew he’d never admit it. And once he was sure Franky wasn’t hurt, he’d let out a deep, relieved sigh, and then would smack Franky again for being so reckless.

He also remembered how Iceburg had turned him down when he appeared at the Galley-La Headquarters two years back, and the very same night showed up where they used to live to talk to Franky. He’d shouted and cursed, and a second later he cried and reached out to hold Franky. Unlike himself, Tom, Kokoro or even Yokozuna, Iceburg was never particularly affectionate towards anyone. He also rarely demonstrated what he was feeling so openly; Franky had only seen him cry two or three times before this event. Iceburg had also told him he was glad Franky was alive. Even though they fought and argued, even though Franky was irresponsible and stubborn, even though his recklessness had killed their master, Iceburg was still glad Franky was alive.

Franky didn’t know what to make out of it.  


He also figured if he put too much thought into it, he’d dig up things he’d rather keep buried. It was easier to tell himself Iceburg hated him; perhaps not from the start, but definitely after Tom’s death. Why wouldn’t he? After warning Franky countless times about the danger the Battle Frankies posed, all of which Franky had blatantly ignored, Iceburg had been right all along. Sometimes Franky woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, heart pounding and breathless. He rarely remembered any dreams. He only heard Iceburg’s voice repeating him over and over  _ I told you so. I told you so. I told you so. _

Franky realized he’d been staring into his empty plate when Kiev called for him.

“Bro? You want some more?”

He looked up and saw these two large, bulky men watching him expectantly with soft smiles on their faces.  


What was it about Franky that made all these people care so much about him? Why would Tom take a starving child in? Franky was so small and weak, he himself didn’t know how he’d survived. Why would Iceburg patch him up every time he got hurt and made sure he hadn’t broken any bones if at all other times Iceburg was yelling at him like he didn’t want Franky to be there in the first place? Why would Tom give up everything he’d spent his life working on to let Franky go unpunished? Why would Iceburg be glad Franky was alive, given that if Franky didn’t exist at all their master wouldn’t be dead? Why would the lowest, most dangerous criminals in Water 7 want to make sure that he was safe and well fed? And why the fuck would Doflamingo insist so much in staying with Franky even after Franky had sent him away dozens of times?

Franky returned the smile and got up.

“I’m good. Thank you, Zambai, Kiev.”

He took the glasses and locked himself up in the workshop.

⋆⋆⋆

For a guy that drew as much attention as Doflamingo did, he sure was hard to find.

Franky had spent all morning walking around Water 7 after going to the ship and being told by Gladius that Doflamingo wasn’t there. It was already past noon, no sign of Doflamingo, and Franky was starving, so he decided to stop by the local market to grab a bite.

That’s when he spotted Violet.

She ran up to him and grabbed his shoulders tightly.  


“Franky!! Are you okay? You vanished! We were all so worried!”

“Sorry for worrying you!” He gave her a bright smile, rubbing the side of her arm in a soothing motion. “Just had a bad week.”

“Doffy was so distraught when he came back from visiting you.” She touched the side of her face, eyebrows pinching together. Franky felt a bit awkward as he remembered their fight.

“Well, uh…” He scratched the back of his head. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t ever want to see me again, but if I could talk to him one last time that’d be great. If not, then…”

“He’s been waiting since the last time you’ve been on the ship to see you.” Violet gave him a kind, almost apologetic smile.

Franky’s invisible eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure? He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who forgives this sort of thing.”

“He usually doesn’t, you’re right.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “But he’s awfully transparent about whatever he’s feeling, even if he’d rather not be. And, well… You’re you.”

The hairs on the back of Franky’s neck went up. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Violet simply smiled and closed her eyes. After a brief moment, she opened them up again. “He’s at the Galley-La Headquarters.”

“Really? Wow, that’s really impressive!” Franky beamed and planted a quick kiss over her forehead. “Thank you!”

Without bothering to eat anything, Franky rushed to the Headquarters.

He felt a chill when he thought about casually bumping into Iceburg there and being promptly kicked out of the establishment. As he approached the building, he spotted Doflamingo’s large figure in one of the verandas. Franky counted how many floors up and stepped into the Headquarters, wasting no time in walking upstairs.

When he reached the veranda, Doflamingo was looking outside; all Franky saw was his feathery pink coat. He moved slowly, expecting to be choked to death with strings at any given moment. He stopped by Doflamingo’s side, keeping a safe distance and rested his arms over the railing as he replicated the other’s stance. Doflamingo didn’t budge.

After a minute of silence, Franky spoke.

“I want to tell you a few things, and if you don’t want to see me after this I won’t bother you again. Is that okay with you?”

Doflamingo hesitated, but ultimately agreed with a soft hum and a slight nod. Franky pondered briefly as he searched for the appropriate words.

“I… Treated you in a way that nobody should treat another person. Especially not a friend.”

He watched closely for Doflamingo’s reactions, but the other remained still.

“I have my own issues, as does everyone else. You’re not aware of what my issues are. And it doesn’t matter. You have nothing to do with them. There’s absolutely no excuse for my actions.”

Franky paused briefly, still observing the other, and took a deep breath before continuing.

“So, for having punched you, for having yelled at you, for having called you names and for having rejected your help, I’m deeply sorry. I value our friendship and I absolutely failed to show that. As I said, if you don’t want to talk to me again, if you don’t want to forgive me, I understand and I won’t insist. But I wanted you to know this anyway.”

Doflamingo remained silent for a long moment. Then, he cracked a smile and let out a nervous laugh, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses.

“You’re so insufferable. Did you know that?”

Franky was having a hard time reading Doflamingo’s tone.

“I’ve been told that before, yeah.”

“I don’t understand why you act the way you do half of the time.” He sighed deeply as if he’d been holding his breath. “It’s like you don’t want me to treat you right but you insist on being so proper with me. It’s almost embarrassing. What kind of delinquent are you supposed to be, talking to me like you’re writing a letter to the Marine HQ? Do you not see how inconsistent that is? You can’t ask me to spank you until you can’t walk and then deliver me this diplomatic kind of speech. It doesn’t make any sense, it confuses me.”

Whatever reaction Franky was expecting, that was definitely not it. They were in silence for a long time. Then, Doflamingo spoke again.

“I have never forgiven anyone in my life.”

Franky pursed his lips as Doflamingo’s words hurt a bit more than he’d like to admit.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to—”

Doflamingo didn’t allow him to finish. “I don’t know how you do this.”

Franky blinked a few times. “What do you mean?” He mumbled.

“This thing that you do.” Doflamingo gestured vaguely. “Even though you punched me and made me bleed, that didn’t hurt at all. What hurt was not knowing what was going on… Not understanding why you were pushing me away, and being uncertain of what to do next.”

Franky was so shocked with those words that he couldn’t come up with a reply, mouth hanging open.

“I kept thinking about what to do. What sort of punishment you deserve. Whether I should burn your house down while you and your family were asleep. But just considering harming you in any way made me feel so bad, I couldn’t even think about it. And I found that I didn’t want to do that. I’ve killed people for way less than what you did but l can’t bring myself to even be angry at you.”

He remained quiet, staring at nothing in particular as he took his time to absorb what Doflamingo had just said. There was a long moment of silence between them, and Doflamingo was the one to break it again.

“Violet told me that I, uh…” He searched for his next words, and Franky felt the awkwardness in his tone. “Invaded your privacy, and that’s why you reacted the way you did. She explained that I should have respected your wish to be alone, even though I wanted to show you support.”

Franky looked at him as he waited for Doflamingo to conclude his reasoning. He could almost hear the gears in Doflamingo’s head turning. It took him a while to come up with the right words.

“With the benefit of hindsight, that was perhaps not the wisest course of action.”

Franky couldn’t help but crack a smile, and he swore he saw the feathers in Doflamingo’s coat bristling.

“Don’t laugh at me!!” Doflamingo shouted, yet his voice carried no anger. Then, he turned his face away.

“I’m not laughing at you, I promise.” Franky reassured him and took a step closer. “You don’t owe me anything, you know. You don’t owe me this.”

“Just… Let me do this.”

Franky hummed in agreement, listening in silence.

“I regret not listening to you.” He confessed. “I don’t blame you for lashing out. I would have done the same thing, had someone pushed my buttons like that.”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Doflamingo uttered, “I, too, am sorry.”

Franky’s smile was so wide that his face hurt. He wanted to cry. “I thought you’d never wanna see me again.”

Finally, Doflamingo looked at him. “I thought  _ you _ wouldn’t want to see me again.”

After exchanging a long look, they both burst out in laughter. Franky was so relieved his body almost gave out; instead, he buried his head in Doflamingo’s chest, holding him tight as they laughed. Doflamingo hugged him back, intertwining his fingers in Franky’s hair.

They held each other for a while; eventually, Franky pulled back and pressed his fingertips over his own abdomen.

“I have something for you.”

He pressed the compartment door in and unlocked it, reaching inside. Then, he pulled out a small rectangular box and handed it to Doflamingo. The other man took the box curiously and opened it, his face falling into an emotional expression.

“Ah, Franky. You didn’t have to.”

“I tried to fix them but ended up having to make them from scratch… So if you need any adjustments just let me know.”

Doflamingo simply smiled as he took the gift in his hand; a brand new pair of sunglasses. They were a lighter shade of pink than Doflamingo’s trademark ones, but otherwise looked pretty much the same. He removed the pair he was wearing and slipped the new ones on. He tested them out, looking around.

“They’re perfect. You said you made them yourself?”

Franky nodded proudly. “A bit of a challenge since I had never made sunglasses before, and I wanted to make sure I got the lenses right.”

“You’re so skilled. Thank you, Franky.” Doflamingo placed the sunglasses he’d been wearing previously inside the box and slid the box inside his coat. Then, in a swift motion, he pulled Franky up, cradling his face between his hands and sealed their lips together in a ravishing kiss.

Despite the initial shock, Franky let himself be taken, wrapping his arms around Doflamingo’s neck. The other lifted Franky up and sat him over the railing.  


The kiss didn’t last very long, and when they separated, Doflamingo had a mischievous grin over his face. Before Franky could ask what he was up to, he said, “Maybe I should fuck you right here.”

Franky snorted and briefly considered the possibility. He thought of Iceburg showing up and finding them in such a predicament, and wasn’t sure if riling Iceburg up like that was more exciting or terrifying. “Maybe you should.” He teased.

This time, it was Doflamingo’s turn to laugh. “You’re really on board with anything, aren’t you?”

“What, don’t tell me you’re just teasing.” He ran his fingers over the other’s chest. It seemed like both of them wanted it, but, for once, their good judgment spoke louder, even though neither of them wanted to admit to it.

“Let’s do it then.” Doflamingo joked, moving his hands to the front of his pants and pretending like he was going to open them, but didn’t follow through with it. The other laughed.

“As you know, I’m not opposed to some public indecency.” Franky gave the other a cocky smile. “What I think though is that if Mayor Iceburg walks in on us, the least he’ll do is permanently ban both of us from the island.” He chuckled.

Doflamingo agreed with a nod and helped Franky slide off the railing and stand on his feet again. He ran his fingers through Franky’s head and kissed the top of his head, watching him with longing. Franky took the other’s hands in his.

“What have you been up to while I was away? Throw many good parties?”

Doflamingo snorted. “Not really.”

“No?” Franky raised both eyebrows in surprise. “Gone out a lot? Have you visited all the touristy places of Water 7 yet?”

“Uh, no. Haven’t left the ship much, to be honest.”

“Whaaat?!” Franky faked exasperation. “No, can’t have that. That’s unacceptable. You’re in the coolest island in Paradise! Gotta take you on a Yagara Bull ride right now. Let’s go.” He said with an excited smile, squeezing Doflamingo’s hands and pulling him along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Updated Nov 2nd) Due to writer graduating soon, next chapter will be coming out on December 7th! Thank you for understanding!


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing ever came so naturally to them as much as being together does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I've finally graduated and I'm back from my hiatus! I'm excited to write more for this pairing & I will also be working on other projects besides this one, so be sure to keep an eye out if it interests you ;)
> 
> Big thanks to [Lojo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lojo) for beta reading this chapter for me!
> 
> [Here's a song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNuN6k8GE1c) that goes well with this chapter (immersive but totally optional!!).
> 
> No warnings for this one besides tooth-rotting fluff. Enjoy!

Franky dragged Doflamingo around Water 7 with the excitement of a schoolboy, holding his hand and pointing around. His enthusiasm and pride for his island were absolutely contagious, and Doflamingo found himself captivated by Water 7 as much as he’d been by Franky. The terracotta colored roofs reminded him of Dressrosa, and he missed his home. He pictured himself showing Franky around Dressrosa and his heart was filled with joy. 

“Hey,” He asked at one point, “have you ever been to Dressrosa?”

“No...” Franky shook his head. “I don’t do a lot of traveling, to be honest.”

“Oh, you’d love it there. The climate is similar to the one here— I guess Dressrosa is a bit warmer. The whole country is gorgeous, and everyone who lives there is gorgeous too. My palace is in Karta and from my bedroom window you can see a really beautiful sunflower field.” He rambled excitedly.

At that point, the population of Water 7 had grown used to seeing Doflamingo around town, so he and Franky got to enjoy their tour without being disturbed. Franky first took him to a traditional restaurant as he was starving, and had Doflamingo try things he’d never eaten before, most of which were traditional Mizu-Mizu flavored foods. Then, of course, Franky took him on a Yagara Bull ride. It was smooth and peaceful, and afterwards they visited the artificial waterfalls where the water from the fountain on top of the city poured into the canals. The waterfalls couldn’t be accessed directly for safety reasons, but they could watch the stream from a platform and feel the water sprinkle over their faces.

The sun had begun setting when they headed back downtown. Doflamingo realized he’d spent “very little money” since he’d arrived at Water 7, and “needed to change that”. So he proceeded to raid every store that caught his eye, buying an excessive amount of unnecessary souvenirs and finding a convoluted excuse to explain why each one was absolutely necessary. Franky laughed and went along with it, helping him carry the bags as they started accumulating. 

When he decided he was done, Doflamingo asked Franky to take him to “the most expensive restaurant in Water 7”.

“I’m not sure if you’re asking the right person,” Franky laughed, “but I’ll try.”

He then took Doflamingo to a more sophisticated part of town, and there was a variety of places to choose. 

“I think… That one.” Franky said, pointing to one restaurant across the street. “Don’t know if it’s the most expensive one, but it’s pretty famous.”

As they walked up to the entrance, the host greeted Doflamingo with a practiced smile and a polite welcome, obviously recognizing him. The second he looked at Franky, however, his smile melted away and scorn took over his face. Franky recognized the host, but couldn’t remember where he knew him from or what his name was.

Eyeing Franky from head to toe, the host then turned to Doflamingo, ignoring the other. “My apologies, sir, but your companion isn’t following our required dress code.” He said in the fakest apologetic tone of all time. “Unfortunately, he won’t be allowed to enter the restaurant.”

Doflamingo briefly glanced at Franky and turned back towards the host. He let out a thoughtful hum, circling him like an apex predator would do to its prey, looming over him. The host started sweating bullets.

“I have a better idea.” Doflamingo finally said, the menacing tone in his voice undeniable. “How about you welcome him like you welcomed me, hm? It’d be such a shame if, say, this restaurant got such a scarring review from somebody important that it’d have no choice but to close its doors. And there is no doubt that such a review would mention an impudent host.”

The host swallowed audibly and forced himself to smile, even though he was shaking like a dry leaf.

“Please follow me, sirs.” 

After the host had turned around, Doflamingo exchanged a look with Franky and gave him a quick, discreet lopsided smile. Franky returned the grin as they walked into the restaurant. 

The host led them to a table that definitely wasn’t meant for only two people, handed them menus and fled as soon as they were properly accommodated. Franky and Doflamingo exchanged a look and then fell into a fit of laughter.

“That was really hot.” Franky commented, propping his chin over the heel of his hand. “I’d just have punched him.”

Doflamingo hummed quietly. “That would’ve been hot as well, I’m sure.” He smirked. “Do you know him?”

“I think so, but I can’t remember.” He explained. “Must’ve gotten into a fight with him at some point.”

“Perhaps you fucked him?” Doflamingo teased.

Franky snorted and faked an exasperated expression. “Don’t insult me.” Doflamingo laughed, opening the menu; Franky did the same.

As they read the menu, Franky kept going back and forth through the pages, like he was expecting to find something different if he closed the menu and opened it again.

“Uh.” He broke the casual silence between them, catching the other’s attention.

“Having trouble choosing?” Doflamingo tilted his head.

Franky leaned in and cupped his hand next to his mouth, whispering conspiratorially, “I can’t afford to eat here.” He made it sound comical enough, but it was still true.

Imitating Franky’s reaction from earlier, Doflamingo snorted, “Don’t insult me.” He cocked an eyebrow in emphasis. “As if I’d let you pay either way.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take advantage of you.”

“You  _ can’t _ take advantage of me.” Doflamingo teased, and after a brief pause, he added, “Besides, what’s so wrong with me paying for our dinner date?”

Franky immediately felt his face burn and the hairs on his arms stand up. He averted his gaze nervously; Doflamingo smirked at his embarrassment but didn’t press any further, which Franky was deeply grateful for.

Each time the words  _ dinner date _ resonated in Franky’s mind, he repeated to himself  _ don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it _ .

Doflamingo didn’t let the awkward silence between them last much longer. “Hey, if letting me pay bothers you too much, you could always compensate me with a deepthroat later.”

Franky laughed and felt a bit of the tension leave his shoulders. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll make sure to hold you to it.”

They picked out an order, ate and enjoyed themselves. Doflamingo ordered some delicious wine, and they drank one bottle after the other. They left by the time the restaurant was closing, laughing at how shitfaced they’d gotten. As they went out the door, Franky flipped the host off with relish, and Doflamingo cackled like a middle schooler. They supported each other’s bodies as they drunkenly made their way home, catching the attention of the people they walked by.

“I don’t wanna— ‘m not gonna deepthroat you now,” Franky commented in a tone a bit too loud for the topic at hand as they walked across a quieter neighborhood. “Got a belly full of fancy food— Can you imagine that? Me hurling our fancy dinner all over your cock?!” He snickered.

“Stop, that’s fucking gross!” Doflamingo couldn’t stop laughing. “I’ll have you not eat for twelve hours before getting your mouth anywhere near my cock from now on.” He played along.

“How long have we been fucking? I haven’t thrown up a single time, gimme some credit.”

“Maybe I’m not fucking your throat hard enough.”

“Oh, that is  _ definitely  _ not the case!”

They both cackled uncontrollably, keeping each other steady as they walked. They were in a shadier part of town that Franky knew like the palm of his hand, but he was so drunk and giddy it might as well have been his first time walking down those streets.

At one point, Doflamingo called, “Hey, Franky.”

“Yeah?” Franky turned his head around to look at the other.

As soon as he did, however, he was abruptly pulled by his shirt into a dark alleyway and slammed against the wall, Doflamingo’s lips smashing against his own.

“I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to do this since we left the Galley-La Headquarters.” Doflamingo mumbled into Franky’s mouth, hand swiftly making its way to the front of his speedos. “I’ve been half-hard since we left the restaurant.”

Franky whimpered in surprise, clutching Doflamingo’s feather coat. “Are you gonna fuck me?” He asked quietly, with a small mischievous smile.

“Any chance you have some lube on you?”

“Uh, no.”

Doflamingo then pulled Franky up, pinning him against the wall so that their hips were aligned. “Hold on tight.” He instructed as his hands swiftly untied his pants, his hard cock springing out. Franky did the same, and, as if their movements were choreographed, they reached for their cocks simultaneously and pressed them together.

Doflamingo buried his face in Franky’s neck, scraping his teeth lightly over the skin and planting a gentle kiss there; Franky let out a soft moan in response.

“I missed you,” Doflamingo whispered against the other’s skin.

With an airy laugh, Franky ran his fingers through Doflamingo’s hair. “Shut up.” He said endearingly.

“It’s true.” Doflamingo’s lips moved up to Franky’s ear as he stroked both of their erections lovingly. Franky’s hand moved along with his, speeding up and spreading his excessive precum over their shafts. 

The sensation of being together, their cocks cozy against each other and their hearts beating in sync didn’t help either of them last very long. Foreheads touching, they came in each other’s hands with a soft whisper of each other’s names.

Doflamingo kept holding onto Franky as they panted, recovering from their orgasms. Franky took the other's hand in his and licked the cum clean off his palm while looking into his eyes. Doflamingo watched in astonishment and then took Franky’s hand in his, doing the same to him. He kissed Franky’s hairline, and Franky tilted his head up, locking their lips together.

“Let’s not fight again.” Doflamingo whispered in earnest. Franky nodded and they exchanged a small smile; Doflamingo put the other down and they tucked themselves in. With a sigh, Franky supported his head over Doflamingo’s chest, hugging him, and the other entwined his long fingers in his hair.

“‘m getting sleepy.” Franky mumbled, and Doflamingo gave him a warm chuckle.

“Why don’t we crash at your place tonight?” He suggested, fingertips brushing over Franky’s sideburns.

“Whaaat?” Franky snorted softly. “No, let’s go to the ship.”

“I wanna visit your house. Properly this time.”

“Hmmn.” Franky rubbed his head against Doflamingo’s chest. “My bed’s very stiff. And it’s probably too small for both of us.”

“We’ll just snuggle up really close.”

Franky chuckled quietly and hid his face deeper in the other’s chest, eventually taking his hand with a small nod. “Okay.”

Thus, Franky led Doflamingo through the dark streets of Water 7 to Scrap Island, and they quickly made their way to the Franky House.

“Looks really colorful.” Doflamingo commented with a smile as Franky opened the door. Some folks were still awake, and they greeted Doflamingo with enthusiasm; Doflamingo seemed genuinely interested in getting to know each of them. As much as that warmed Franky’s heart, however, he was far too sleepy, and all he could do was cling to Doflamingo’s arm in a childlike manner.

“Wanna sleep?” He eventually asked in a soft tone.

Franky rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’m gonna head upstairs… You can stay here and talk to them if you want to.”

“Nah, let’s go to bed.” He gave the other a warm smile, bid the Family good night and allowed Franky to lead him upstairs.

Franky didn’t bother to turn on the lights, instead reaching for a glass globe over his bedside table and flipping a switch underneath it. The globe lit up and Franky placed it back down; as he got undressed, Doflamingo grabbed it curiously to have a look.

It was like a snow globe, a relatively large one, except with no fake snow inside, only a transparent liquid. There was a somewhat thick glowing cylinder in the middle with drawings of mermaids over it, and the cylinder rotated in a very slow, relaxing pace, like the mermaids were swimming in the world’s most peaceful carrousel. The base at the bottom of the globe was decorated with little sculpted seashells, imitating the sea floor, and there was a tag with “Fishman Island” beautifully engraved on it. The mermaids as well as the paint over the base looked quite faded, and some of the decorative seashells were even chipped.

“This is pretty.” Doflamingo commented, placing the globe back down, and he had so many questions he wasn’t sure which one to address first. “Have you ever been there?”

“Ah, no.” Franky made himself comfortable over the bed. “That’s a gift from a, uh, relative. Do you need a change of clothes?”

“No.” Doflamingo took the cue and got undressed as well, joining Franky under the blankets. Indeed, the bed was a bit small for both of them — even for Doflamingo alone — so he nestled Franky over his chest. After a bit of shuffling, they found a comfortable position for both, with Doflamingo’s fingers intertwined in Franky’s hair.

After a few minutes of silence, Doflamingo cracked a smile. “You sleep with a nightlight.”

Franky huffed out a soft laugh. “Why are you so damn pressed about my globe?”

“I’m not pressed, I just…” He briefly trailed off, and finished his thought after a moment. “I like it. It makes me wonder just how much I still don’t know about you.”

He felt Franky tense up at his words.

“But that’s okay.” Doflamingo promptly added, hoping it’d relieve him. “I understand you’re very reserved about your personal stuff, which is why it feels like I’m making a great discovery each time I learn something new about you. It’s like I’m placing a puzzle piece down and each time I do I get a better idea of who you are.”

Franky clung to the sheets, curling into himself. “You shouldn’t try to complete that puzzle.”

Doflamingo rolled his eyes. “Come on. You know I’ve done horrible things, and you don’t seem to mind.”

“Yeah, I try my best not to be a goddamn hypocrite.” He said, trying to suppress whatever he was feeling; his voice came out sounding strangled and shaky, equal parts angry and scared.

“Well, even if you’ve somehow done something even worse than what you know about me…” He made a long pause. “Which I doubt…” And another equally long pause. “I don’t care.”

“You  _ should _ .” Franky turned around bitterly, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Doflamingo took the opportunity to spoon him.

“It doesn’t matter one way or the other.” He kissed the back of Franky’s neck, hand slipping underneath his arm and reaching for his hand, eventually lacing their fingers together. “You’ve already got me hooked.”

_ What does that mean? _ Franky thought, but was too terrified to ask. He squeezed Doflamingo’s hand, looking up at the light globe.

He remembered the first time he met Den, Tom’s younger brother. He came to visit when they’d first started working on the sea train to help out. Franky was equally curious and wary about meeting him, but all his suspicions faded away the moment the moment the fishman reached inside his bag and presented him with a neat, heavy package. Franky unwrapped the gift with anticipation, and stared starry-eyed at the globe in his hands as Den turned the light on.

“Just look at the mermaids if you ever have trouble sleeping.” Den had said with a soft smile. “They’ll help you.”

With the benefit of hindsight, Franky figured Tom had told Den about Franky’s insomnia, which had lasted during his first year or two living there. This realization shook Franky a bit, and he was once again astonished at the thoughtfulness of the people around him.

Den was right. The mermaids did help him sleep. They helped him through his childhood, his teenage years and his early adulthood. Franky’s insomnia didn’t stick around for long, but he kept the habit of watching the mermaids until he fell asleep as an anchor of sorts.

There were many things that Franky could list as the worst part of his recovery from the sea train accident, but his sleepless nights were definitely among the top. He had to deal with his guilt and his anxiety with nothing to distract him from them. He missed his mermaids. They had always been a physical reminder that his found family had his back. Which was why when he decided to reintegrate into society, one of the first things he did was break into their old house and retrieve some of his belongings. Some things were broken, others were missing, but Franky wept in relief when he found his globe perfectly intact. He briefly thought about leaving the globe behind, as he didn’t deserve the comfort it provided, but the thought of separating from it again was so painful that he allowed himself that little bit of selfishness.

That night, he slept on the floor of their old house, with no blankets or pillows; he watched the mermaids, and was able to truly rest for the first time in years.

Franky thought about Doflamingo’s words. To be fair, he didn’t doubt that the man wouldn’t care about his past. But Franky cared. Franky felt shame and self-loathing whenever he thought about what he’d done. And that was more than enough for him to not want anyone finding out about his history. He could barely bear to look Iceburg in the eye anymore; he didn’t need that to happen to his relationship with anyone else.

Even though only a few days earlier Franky had punched Doflamingo in that very room, he was now there, snuggling him, thumb stroking his hand. Franky was having trouble understanding what that meant, but he was grateful for the other’s patience either way.

“Good night, Doffy.”

Doflamingo kissed the back of his neck in response and snuggled even closer. Franky looked at the mermaids, drifting into sleep.

⋆⋆⋆

Franky woke up slowly, realizing they were still in the same position they had fallen asleep in. He figured they were stuck in that position, since there was not a lot of room to move in the first place. The room was pitch black, due to the windows being closed, with the exception of a few cracks in the wood which let a little light shine in.

He wasn’t sure if Doflamingo was still asleep, but judging by how his face was buried in Franky’s hair, he would guess he was. Franky squeezed his hand lightly, and Doflamingo exhaled deeply. Then, he shuffled a bit behind Franky, who could suddenly feel a raging boner pressing against his ass.

“Well, good morning.” Franky said quietly, looking over his shoulder. Doflamingo let out an airy laugh and raised his head to meet Franky’s lips with his own. This being the world’s clumsiest position, Franky decided to turn around, thus properly locking lips with Doflamingo.

They kissed slow and lazy, Doflamingo’s hands cradling Franky’s face so delicately, like he was something valuable and fragile. Maybe he was. 

Franky sighed into the other’s mouth, pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes. He didn’t know how it was possible, but Doflamingo looked like the most angelic thing he’d ever seen. 

“You’re so pretty,” Franky whispered, running his thumbs across Doflamingo’s cheekbones.

“Don’t call me that.” He retorted, but there was no bite to his voice. “It’s emasculating.”

Franky snorted softly. “You’re the most powerful man in the world. You can be as pretty as you want.”

“Now you’re just stroking my ego.” Doflamingo smiled, fingers running through Franky’s hair, and stole a peck from his lips.

“I would much rather be stroking something else right now.” Franky commented in a coy voice, dragging his fingers down the other’s chest and abs.

Smiling against Franky’s lips, Doflamingo pulled him closer, pressing their naked hips together. “You still owe me a deepthroat, remember?”

“Oh, so now I  _ have _ to pay?” Franky faked indignation, chuckling and touching their foreheads together. “Later, okay? Feeling kinda lazy right now.” 

Doflamingo hummed in agreement, kissing Franky’s face as the other accommodated properly, taking Doflamingo’s cock in his hand.

“Love how your cock feels in my hand.” Franky whispered, stroking him in long, lazy movements, his grip light.

“I love how your hand feels on my cock.” Doflamingo replied cheekily, nuzzling Franky’s jaw and neck.

“What a fucking dork.” Franky laughed endearingly, leaning in to kiss Doflamingo. He pulled the foreskin down carefully, rubbing his thumb over the slit. Doflamingo sighed.

“What a delicious cock you have. Can’t believe I get to have this every day.” Franky continued, basking in Doflamingo’s reactions, his pretty eyelashes fluttering.

“Look at you, you’re just perfect. Not just your cock, all of you.” Franky watched as each word of praise made more and more precum dribble out of Doflamingo. He chuckled. “Hell yeah, you love this, don’t you? Leaking so much for me.” Still, he kept his strokes at a deliciously slow pace, even though he knew Doflamingo craved more.

“Franky…” He sighed, breath shaky and weak. 

“I wanna ride you.” Franky smiled against his lips after teasing him a little longer.

To which Doflamingo immediately replied with, “Please.”

Franky quickly rolled over and reached under his bed, doing some scrambling before picking up a tub of vaseline. He then swiftly mounted over Doflamingo and popped the lid open without hesitation, sticking his fingers in the substance and promptly sliding them into himself while rubbing his ass against Doflamingo’s erection.

“C’mon.” Doflamingo pulled Franky closer, hand firm on his hip. “Let me finger you.”

Franky grinned. “Hmm...” He hummed like he was deeply pondering, in a teasing manner.

“Stop that.” Doflamingo mirrored his grin and yanked Franky down, smashing their lips together; Franky’s grin grew into a smirk against his lips. He carried on fingering himself and Doflamingo slid his hand along the other’s ass. “Can I?”

Franky nodded and handed the tub over to Doflamingo, who dipped his fingers in the vaseline and slid them effortlessly into Franky. He sighed and tossed his head back, lips falling wide open; his hips rolled onto Doflamingo’s hands of their own accord.

“You feel amazing.” He whispered against Franky’s lips. “I missed you so much. I thought I’d never be able to do this again.”

Franky blushed a little and smiled awkwardly. “Such a sap.”

“I’m so glad we’re here.” He rambled on. “I was so scared, Franky.”

Franky pulled Doflamingo’s fingers out of himself, reaching for the jar and taking a generous amount of vaseline to spread over the other’s cock.

“No. Franky—”

“If you’re talking so much it means you’re done, doesn’t it?” He gave Doflamingo a cheeky smile, coating him with the lubricant and promptly sliding down his cock.

Franky winced at the intrusion, and Doflamingo stroked his thighs soothingly. “Easy now.” Then he sat up, wrapping his arms around Franky and burying his face in the other’s collarbones. “So impatient. You’re gonna get yourself hurt someday.”

“I can take it.” Franky grunted defiantly, and his forehead was already collecting droplets of sweat.

“Easy.” He repeated, stroking Franky’s back and peppering kisses over his collarbones as Franky lowered himself on his cock. As much as Doflamingo didn’t want the other to hurt himself, he  _ loved  _ how tight and hot Franky felt around his cock. He couldn’t help but sigh in pure lust.

Franky started moving slowly, letting out a sweet cry and claiming Doflamingo’s lips, arms looped around his neck. He smiled into the kiss and Doflamingo smiled too, nuzzling him when their lips parted. Even as Franky relaxed and the pain ceased, he continued moving in the same slow pace.

“Precious sunshine.” Doflamingo whispered against his skin, his tone absolutely devoted. Franky let out a strained laugh and hid his face in Doflamingo’s neck, embarrassed.

“What’s gotten into you…” He pouted, nuzzling the other.

“I’m happy to be with you.” He answered with simplicity.

“I’m happy too.” Franky’s words came out before he could complete his thoughts. A bit surprised by his own candidness, Franky averted his gaze, trying to hide his face. Still, he could feel how widely Doflamingo was smiling as he pressed his lips to Franky’s exposed neck.

They rocked together slowly, touching as much of each other’s skin as they could reach. Chests pressed together, they might’ve melted together if they were any closer.

Doflamingo reached between their bodies and stroked Franky with a firm yet kind touch, gently coaxing him into orgasming with the help of the sweetest words he could muster. Doflamingo’s long, skilled fingers were unlike those of any lover Franky had ever had; it was like he knew Franky’s body better than he himself did. He was addicted to Doflamingo’s hot touch, and couldn’t keep his hips from bucking up involuntarily as he chased more and more stimulation.

“That’s it, baby, good boy. You look so good on my cock. I wanna see you cum for me, give me your prettiest face when you cum. You’re doing so good, you’re making me so proud. Cum for me.”

And Franky did, moaning out sweetly and clinging to Doflamingo’s shoulders like his life depended on it as he rode him through his orgasm. After he came, he carried on riding Doflamingo, squeezing his walls around the other as he cried softly in overstimulation. Doflamingo came right after, spilling his warm seed into Franky, and they both collapsed over the bed. As soon as he had a proper look at Franky’s face, he wiped the tears off of his cheeks. 

“You okay? Was that alright?” He asked with a bit of unease, but Franky simply nodded while watching him with a lazy, absolutely smitten smile, leaving no room for doubt. Doflamingo kissed his cheek and his forehead, holding him close.

As they rested and waited for their panting to subside, Doflamingo entangled his fingers in Franky’s hair, and he could swear he heard Franky purring.

Eventually, Franky dragged himself out of his position and reached under his bed for a package of wet wipes. He handed it to Doflamingo and collapsed over his chest again.

“Clean me up.” He grumbled, rubbing his head over Doflamingo’s pectorals.

“When did you get so bossy?” He teased in an endearing tone, shuffling so that he could sit up. Franky remained unmoving, letting Doflamingo do his job while he was on the verge of falling asleep.

After he was finished, Doflamingo commented, “Where’s the bathroom? I really need to pee.”

“Oh. It’s outside.” Franky explained as he pointed lazily. “You go downstairs and turn to the right, you’ll find the kitchen. Just cross the kitchen and there’s a door that leads outside. The bathroom is the house right in front of the door.”

Doflamingo nodded and got up, slipping his underwear and his pants on. He reached for his glasses over the bedside table, and before he left, Franky said, “If you wanna grab some breakfast knock yourself out. Just ask the guys if you need anything. I’m gonna stay in bed a little longer.”

Doflamingo nodded again. “Okay.” He leaned over and kissed Franky’s face. “I’ll wait for my pillow princess downstairs then.”

Franky chuckled and watched as Doflamingo left the room with a grin. 

He stayed in bed, lazy and half asleep, until he heard the whistle of the sea train. With a groan, Franky slowly sat up and stretched, walking to the window and opening it. It was a bright sunny day.

He sat down and watched the train, simply thinking before he said anything. Once the train was gone, Franky sighed and cracked a smile.

“Today I said… Today I said I was happy.” He recounted excitedly. “I can’t remember the last time I said that. At least I can’t remember meaning it.”

Franky didn’t feel any guilt, either.

“I think it’s okay, isn’t it, Tom? I think you’d want me to be happy. Even if I didn’t deserve it. Wouldn’t you?”

He watched the ocean for a minute and chuckled to himself.

“I’d still rather you be alive, but…” He swallowed back some tears. “Thank you. For allowing me to be here today, and to feel happy.”

Unable to wipe the smile off his face, Franky got up, got dressed and went downstairs.

“No! You wouldn’t believe it!” Franky heard someone from the Family say as he opened the door.

“Well, tell me!” Doflamingo encouraged, and Franky could sense the excitement in his voice.

“Basically, nobody had ever seen him around town. And you know our bro isn’t your average dude, his looks are pretty remarkable.”

“We were just a bunch o’ rejects, some of us were homeless an’ all that. And our bro brought us together, gave us this nice place to live.”

“We didn’t wanna have to steal to survive, you know? And now we only steal from pirates and other criminals. ‘Cause protecting Water 7 is very important for our bro.” 

“Ohh, so  _ that’s _ why he tried to take me on when I first got here.” Doflamingo mentioned with a chuckle, and several others laughed too.

“Oh yeah! He loves picking fights.”

Franky stood on the stairs as he listened to the conversation. Sometimes he was moody and bossy, but he did care about his family a lot. He… Didn’t hear them talk about him like that very often. 

His heart felt warm.

He descended the stairs casually, pretending he hadn’t been eavesdropping, and they all went silent when they saw Franky.

“Good morning.” He said with a smile and exchanged a look with Doflamingo, giving him a wink.

“Bro!” Franky was welcomed with enthusiasm, and he greeted his men with high-fives and fist-bumps as he walked through the kitchen; they all talked to him cheerfully and affectionately. He grabbed a bottle of cola from the refrigerator and beelined to where Doflamingo was — supported against a counter. With a swift impulse, Franky sat over the counter right next to the other.

The men carried on with small-talk and eating breakfast; Franky popped the bottle open with his thumb. Doflamingo gave him a funny look.

“What kind of breakfast is that?” He teased.

“Need to refill my energy bar, you know.” He nudged Doflamingo. “I just woke up and I’m  _ sooo _ worn out.”

Doflamingo grinned. “What, am I supposed to apologize?”

“Only if you’re sorry.” 

“Well then.” He nodded, playing along. “I’m sorry for wearing you out so much.”

“Hmm-hmm.” Franky shook his head from side to side, pouting and crossing his arms. “That won’t do.”

Doflamingo smiled even wider, leaning closer and placing a chaste kiss over Franky’s lips. “There. Is that better?”

“Yeah,” Franky smiled giddily. “I forgive you now.”

When Franky realized it, the whole room had gone silent, and everyone was looking at them.

“Oh, don’t fucking embarrass me.” Franky said, covering part of his face with one hand, clearly already embarrassed. The room exploded in commotion.

“Who are you and what did you do to our bro?” One voice stood out.

“Yeah! When did you get so soft?” Another voice teased.

“I’m not— I’m not soft!!” Franky shouted, face bright red. He heard Doflamingo try to hide his laughing. 

“Franky, you might be the softest person I know.” He said while running a hand over the back of Franky’s head, fingers combing his hair.

“That’s—!!” He felt his face heat up even more.

“What happened to you, bro? You stopped picking fights, you’re always cheerful…”

“Not always, but definitely more often than before!”

“I don’t know what to say.” Franky mumbled, chugging the whole bottle of cola at once.

He didn’t even have to look that deep within himself to know it was true. He felt soft. He felt cheerful. He felt better.

Franky spent so long wallowing in guilt, he failed to realize that he was surrounded by people who cared about him; who felt better if he felt better.

He thought about Tom and his kind-hearted nature. Tom wouldn’t want Franky to spend the rest of his life punishing himself for what happened. Tom would want Franky to feel joy in waking up every day, and he would want Franky to have only the best people around him. Tom wasn’t there anymore because he wanted to give Franky a chance of living a happy, fulfilling life.

Who would’ve thought it could be this simple?

Allowing himself to have good things after what he’d done was very difficult for Franky, but if that’s what Tom would’ve wanted, he would try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming out on December 21st! Thank you for sticking around, see you soon <3


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intimacy comes on many levels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: BDSM & potentially dangerous practices (everything is consensual). When I wrote this chapter I wanted it to be the horniest thing I'd ever written. 
> 
> Thanks to [Lojo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lojo) for beta reading this for me! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Franky tapped his feet excitedly over the floor, expectation almost drowning him. He was tied to a chair with his arms behind the backrest, and the room was blacked-out with the exception of a small lamp over the bedside table. He was so giddy that he had to remind himself that once the door was opened, he’d have to focus on his role. He was thankful for the drugs and alcohol that were in his system at that moment, as he felt very relaxed and ready to play.

He jolted in surprise when the door was slammed open and immediately willed himself to sit still.

“So you’re the rat who’s been wreaking havoc in my cargo ships?” Doflamingo’s voice was strong and angry as he stomped into the room, and Franky had to remind himself that they were only roleplaying. Still, the thunderous sound of his voice alone almost made Franky cum in his pants. He squeezed his thighs shut.

“Why, sir, it was just an itty-bitty explosion, sir.” Franky swayed his legs back and forth, looking up at the other from underneath his eyelashes as he pouted.

Doflamingo snatched his jaw, his grip on it painful. “Do you think this is funny?”

Franky was truly impressed with the other’s acting. He secretly wished they weren’t acting at all. His cock was already rock hard; he licked his lips shamelessly, and Doflamingo slapped him hard across the face. That was by far the hardest slap Franky had ever gotten from him; the chair he was sitting on was knocked off balance with the sheer force of the slap, but Doflamingo kept it from toppling over with his strings.

But Franky didn’t flinch or yelp. He just stared at the other, mouth hanging open and eyelids heavy, a slight smile on his lips as his ears rang.

“Should’ve known keeping you prisoner would be absolutely useless.” Doflamingo pulled back, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses. Then, he charged at Franky, yanking his hair back. “Where are your men?” He asked, forcing Franky to look at him. Doflamingo looked absolutely furious. Franky was madly turned on.

“No men. Just me.” Franky answered, batting his eyelashes.

Doflamingo struck him across the face once again, just as hard as he’d done before.

“Don’t be a smartass. One man cannot take down five cargo ships, I don’t care how powerful you are.”

Recovering from the slap, Franky quickly countered, “I always work alone. You might wanna look me up.” He gave Doflamingo a challenging stare. “Besides, it’s totally possible. Do you wanna see my guns?” He smirked.

Doflamingo spat over his face, leaving a large splatter of saliva that Franky couldn’t wipe off. “How wearisome.” He berated, and Franky couldn’t see him raise his leg; he only felt Doflamingo press his pointy shoe against the front of his speedos, grinding his foot over the other’s hard cock. “I can’t believe this. You’re repulsive.”

Franky failed to repress a yelp at the assault, and squeezed his eyes shut as Doflamingo pressed his foot harder against Franky’s cock.

“Fucking whore. Open your eyes.” Doflamingo pulled Franky’s hair, rubbing the spit off his face in a rough gesture and wiping his hand clean over the other’s chest.

“That’s sweet.” Franky smiled as he opened his eyes. “Thank you.” He teased, knowing Doflamingo had only cleaned his face because he cared about Franky outside of their roleplay.

To his surprise, Doflamingo reached behind himself and pulled out a flintlock, pressing the muzzle right between Franky’s eyes. Franky actually gasped in shock, and he saw an expression change flicker over Doflamingo’s face, brows pinching together slightly. Smoothly recovering from the shock, Franky gave him a slight nod, encouraging him to go on.

In character once again, Doflamingo pressed the muzzle harder against Franky’s head. “I have no use for a prisoner like you. Tell me, how much do you want to stay alive?”

Doflamingo probably had a scenario in mind where Franky begged him to spare his life. They both knew where this was going, it was clear as day.

But Franky never liked making things easy.

“Not at all.” He spoke firmly. “By all means, put me out of my misery.”

Once again, Doflamingo was taken aback by Franky’s reaction. It took him a second longer to think of something to say.

“Don’t test me.” Doflamingo cocked the gun.

Franky continued looking at him, with a resolution of steel.

They remained in silence for another moment, until Doflamingo pulled the gun back, swiftly undoing the hammer as he pointed it down to keep it from firing. 

“You know what?” Doflamingo said as he tossed the gun across the room. “I’m not giving you that privilege.” Then, he closed his hands around Franky’s throat, and watched as his tongue rolled out of his mouth in ecstasy. It always surprised him how much Franky loved being choked. 

He watched Franky’s face go red and his eyelashes flutter until he started losing consciousness, and then released him. Franky panted for a brief moment but he barely managed to get a lungful of air before Doflamingo tightened both his hands around his windpipe again. He repeated this a couple of times as Franky became more and more desperate to breathe, his senses evading him one by one.

Eventually, as Franky breathed and Doflamingo moved to close his hand around his throat again, Franky tilted his head to the side in a flinching motion. 

Doflamingo immediately halted, and gently cupped the other’s cheek in his hand. “Franky, give me a color.” He asked patiently, and waited as long as he needed until the other was ready to speak.

“Yellow.” He eventually muttered with a great deal of difficulty. Doflamingo nodded and walked over to the bedside table to grab some water for Franky. Untying him, Doflamingo squatted down and handed Franky the cup, remaining at his eye level while he stroked the other’s cheek.

As he recovered, between one cough and the other, Franky mumbled, “‘m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Doflamingo replied without missing a beat. “That’s what the safeword is for.”

“I don’t like interrupting the game.”

“Well, it’s no longer a game if I’m harming you, is it?” He tilted his head, looking at Franky affectionately. “Don’t worry about it. You did the right thing. We can continue with the scenario as soon as you feel ready, if you still want to.”

Franky coughed again and groaned, tilting his head away and hiding it against his shoulder. Doflamingo picked him up from the chair, cradling him in his arms as if he were a house cat and placing the cup down.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Doflamingo requested, sitting by the foot of the bed as he held Franky, who was now cuddling his chest.

“Are you still gonna hurt me? Or are you gonna hesitate?” He mumbled.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. And I won’t do anything that will damage you permanently.” Doflamingo ran his fingers through Franky’s hair. “The rest is negotiable.”

“Was the gun loaded?”

“Of course not, Franky.”

“So why did you hesitate?” Franky crossed his arms and pouted. “If I wasn’t at risk.”

“You’re very self-destructive, it makes me worry.” Doflamingo held him closer. “I care about doing things safely, but you never let me.”

“I know you have it within you to be cruel.” He cuddled closer. “And I want you to be. So why aren’t you.”

There was a long period of silence between them before Doflamingo spoke. “It’s because I like you.”

“Then stop holding back. I don’t like it when you hesitate.”

They remained in silence for another long moment, with Doflamingo gently stroking Franky’s scalp. 

“Just let me know if you wanna continue.” Doflamingo eventually whispered.

“Yeah.” Franky answered without missing a beat. “I’m good to go.”

There was another period of silence, this time short, and Doflamingo tied Franky’s arms behind his back with one swift move of his hand, standing and taking the other with him, tossing him on his stomach over the bed.

“You don’t think I’m being cruel enough?” Doflamingo barked as he stood over the bed and pressed a shoe against Franky’s cheek.

“No.” Franky spoke with a certain difficulty as his face was being squashed against the mattress; his next sentence came out completely muffled, so Doflamingo raised his foot just enough for him to be able to talk.

“What was that?” He demanded.

“I said, I think you’re being a fucking pussy, and I’m disappointed.”

Franky watched with satisfaction as Doflamingo’s nostrils flared up and a vein on his forehead protruded. He waited for the other to kick him in the head, but the blow never came. Instead, he just got out of bed and out of Franky’s sight.

He briefly wondered if he’d done something irreversibly wrong when Doflamingo untied him, but the other immediately spoke.

“Do  _ not _ move.” He imposed firmly, and Franky shivered with anticipation. He wouldn’t dare disobey.

And before Franky could even think of an answer, he felt the sharpest, most sudden crack of a whip against his ass. The yelp that came with it was just as loud and intense.

What a nice surprise.

“Guess what, slut.” Doflamingo said between one hit and the next, and his tone was so sadistic that Franky barely recognized him. After two or three blows, his speedos had been sliced off, so the whip was hitting Franky’s skin directly. “You’re right. I’m too fucking soft with you.” 

Each time the whip smacked his ass, the pain he felt was so sharp that Franky had to ask himself just  _ what _ Doflamingo was whipping him with, as it definitely didn’t feel like a leather whip. He eventually figured out that Doflamingo was using many of his own indestructible strings.

“Choking you? What was I thinking?” He punctuated each sentence with a crack of the whip. “What sort of punishment is that supposed to be if all you do is smile and stick out your tongue, like you’re having the time of your life?”

When the whip hit his back, Franky’s knees gave out and he started crying. His mind was blank, only an endless echo of  _ yes, yes, yes, yes, yes _ .

Doflamingo didn’t stop. “Oh, no no no. Are you gonna cry? Are you really that weak and pathetic?”

Franky gripped the sheets underneath him as hard as he could, and hid his face in shame.

“Show your face, slut. I want to see what I’m doing to you.” Doflamingo ordered, whipping him harder. Franky obeyed, shaking and sobbing.

“That’s better.” He commented, and actually paused for a second, brushing the strings softly over the bruises on Franky’s ass. “Give me a color.”

Franky groaned in irritation and cried harder. “You’re killing the fucking immersion.”

Without missing a beat, Doflamingo unloaded the whip on Franky’s ass, making sure to hit his bruises. “Give me a  _ fucking color!! _ ” He shouted angrily, leaving no room for defiance.

“Green.” Franky muttered reluctantly with a sniffle.

“Yeah?” Doflamingo leaned forward and yanked Franky’s hair, lifting his upper body by pulling it and supporting Franky’s back against his chest. “Then why are you crying, you useless whore?”

With his whole body shivering, Franky hesitated to answer. Why  _ was _ he crying?

“Feels good.” He mumbled.

“Like being put in your place?” Doflamingo leaned in and dug his teeth in the crook of Franky’s neck. There was no teasing to it; it wasn’t intended to feel nice. It was simply a raw demonstration of power. For a split second, Franky actually thought Doflamingo might tear some of his flesh off.

“Yes.” Franky moaned shamelessly. “Please put me in my place.”

“You don’t get to choose.” Doflamingo commented, obscenely lapping his tongue over the blood that bloomed out of the bite marks. Somehow, that felt more like a display of his ownership over Franky than anything he’d done before. Franky didn’t even bother trying to repress the violent shudder that went down his spine, his cock twitching. “Stop acting like you have a say on what I do with you.”

Franky was shoved back forward, falling over the bed, and he let the tears flow freely as he moaned every time the whip hit his back. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever told Doflamingo about that being the most sensitive part of his body, but Doflamingo could probably tell by his reactions.

“Are these the happiest tears you’ve ever cried?” Doflamingo asked, and the question made Franky cry harder.

“Yes…” He answered weakly, yelping with each whipping.

“Address me properly, you cheap whore.” Doflamingo chided in a terrifying tone, delivering a particularly harsh blow over Franky’s back. Franky’s eyes nearly rolled back into his skull.

“Yes, sir!...” Franky clutched to the sheets, shivering and crying uncontrollably. “Thank you, sir!...”

“I have a proposal for you.” Doflamingo’s tone was absolutely wicked as he unleashed the whip on Franky. He didn’t wait for the other’s acknowledgment before continuing, “As punishment for what you did to my cargo ships, you’ll spend the rest of your life in this room, existing only to serve me.”

Franky hiccuped. “What are you gonna do to me?” He asked with feigned innocence.

“Whatever I want.”

The whipping continued and Franky lost track of time, clinging to the sheets. Franky craved this kind of treatment, this kind of pain. Perhaps he’d conditioned himself to believe that he deserved it. Perhaps the pain was the only thing reminding him that some part of him was still human.

The sea train accident had turned Franky into a different person; a person he didn’t know, a person he didn’t always understand, and a person he didn’t particularly like. More often than not, he found himself agreeing with his biological parents for abandoning him as a child. He couldn’t remember their faces and he didn’t make a point of trying; all he remembered was being beaten up, called names, and believing he was worthless. Even if he had found a way to survive by himself on Scrap Island, he would’ve grown into a bitter, angry and resentful person. Tom had brought joy and love to his life, and without him, those things seemed unattainable and forbidden.

Yet… He knew Doflamingo was hurting him because he had asked him to. Franky even had to go the extra mile to make sure Doflamingo didn’t hold back; his warm and comforting embrace was only one safeword away. Doflamingo cared about his safety more than he himself did. Franky knew he didn’t even have to ask for aftercare or for any other sort of affection. 

Thinking about why Doflamingo cared so much about him had Franky seriously on edge. Why couldn’t he just be violent? If Franky didn’t want it, he wouldn’t have asked for it. He didn’t see the point in insisting so much on safewords and things of that sort. He wasn’t a fragile little boy. If he got hurt, well, that was the point, wasn’t it?

Franky was brought back to reality when Doflamingo suddenly stopped whipping him. He realized his body had gone numb a long time ago, his legs shuddering. He used all his energy to lift his head and look behind himself.

“Why’d you stop?” He asked weakly and felt utterly ridiculous.

Doflamingo yanked him to sit at the end of the bed using his strings as he crossed the room. When he returned to Franky, he had his flintlock in his hand again.

“Suck.” He said, shoving the gun into Franky’s mouth.

Franky gasped in surprise but obeyed, shifting stiffly as sitting on his ass felt very uncomfortable. Doflamingo held his chin up, forcing Franky to meet his gaze. Franky blinked softly at the other, making sure to put on a show and suck the barrel as prettily as possible. In turn, Doflamingo rewarded him with a smile, brushing his large thumb over Franky’s cheek to dry out his tears and then giving his sideburns an affectionate scratch.

However, that didn’t last too long, as Doflamingo abruptly pulled the gun out of Franky’s mouth and pushed him back onto the bed. “Turn around.” He ordered, and Franky obeyed, wincing as he moved. He rested on his hands and knees, and Doflamingo reached forward to push his upper body down so that it was resting against the bed. 

“I’m not gonna ask anymore.” Doflamingo said sternly. “Use the safeword if you want to stop.”

Franky only felt a brief nudge before he understood what was going to happen; with only Franky’s spit as lube, Doflamingo pushed the gun into him mercilessly, nearly tearing him open. Franky let out a desperate cry.

At this point, he felt so degraded that he didn’t even care about what was being done to him anymore. He’d been reduced to a fucktoy for Doflamingo to do as he pleased with. 

Doflamingo fucked him ruthlessly with the gun, shoving the barrel as deep into Franky as it’d go. It stretched him weirdly, it burned and it hurt, but Franky simply let himself be used. He loved it.

Quickly becoming used to the feeling, Franky begged for more with a slutty cry. “Harder…!” 

But Doflamingo only rewarded him with a sharp slap to his ass right over his cuts. “Shut the fuck up and take it.” He twisted the gun cruelly, and Franky felt the sight scraping his insides painfully.

Twisting the gun further, Doflamingo found an angle where he could reach Franky’s prostate. He ripped a yelp out of the other as he pressed the muzzle harder. 

In an agonizingly slow motion, he dragged the sight over Franky’s prostate and watched as he curled his toes, whimpering in abandon and clutching tightly to the sheets. His cock was leaking, Franky was a mess. Doflamingo thought he looked absolutely lovely.

*

After a few minutes of torturing the other and realizing he was close, Doflamingo ordered in a deep, velvety tone, “Cum, Franky.” 

On cue, Franky cried out and let his orgasm take over his body, cumming so hard his legs gave out immediately afterwards.

As Franky twitched and panted, Doflamingo pulled the gun out of him carelessly and tossed it across the room. Yanking him by the hair, he threw Franky off the bed, making him kneel and shoving his cock down Franky’s throat immediately after.

“Take it.” He said absentmindedly, clearly having lost his composure already. He chased his pleasure, pounding into Franky’s mouth with his eyes closed. Franky’s gag reflex hadn’t been particularly cooperative since the choking session, so he clung to Doflamingo’s thighs as he cried and choked. Doflamingo didn’t stop or slow down, and Franky felt so dehumanized as thick drool dribbled down his chin that he didn’t even try to pull back or stop the other. Doflamingo carried on talking dirty and degrading him, but Franky’s brain didn’t bother registering the individual words. Regardless, he loved the sound of Doflamingo’s voice; he felt it reverberate through his body and it grounded him. The deep, thundering sound felt like it came from an almighty being. That might as well be the case, too. Franky had always loved being degraded, but for some reason this felt better than anything he’d ever experienced before.

When Doflamingo spilled his warm seed down Franky’s throat, Franky let it overflow and spill out of his mouth as he no longer had any control over his body, completely blissed out.

Without giving him a second to breathe, Doflamingo collapsed right next to him, cradling Franky’s face between his hands and pulling him in for a kiss. He ate up all of his cum from Franky’s mouth and licked his face clean. Franky was so worn out that he just rested a hand over Doflamingo’s shoulder and then collapsed over the other. Doflamingo held him tight; Franky’s body was so warm his skin felt almost too hot to touch.

He was half asleep when Doflamingo started moving and clumsily settled him over the bed, sitting next to him. 

“Come over here.” He placed his hands underneath Franky’s armpits and pulled him closer, resting him over his lap with his stomach down.

“Mmh. Whatdyouwant…” Franky mumbled, unmoving. 

“Silence, prisoner.” He replied endearingly, stroking Franky’s back. Franky chuckled a little.

Apparently, Doflamingo had produced a vial with some ointment; he took some and started rubbing it over Franky’s skin. Franky whimpered quietly, wincing.

“Shhh, easy.” He cooed. 

“Why’re you rubbin’ my wounds...” Franky slurred. “It stings, stop.”

“That’s why they need rubbing. It’ll help them heal.” Doflamingo explained patiently.

Franky whined, trying to move. “No. I don’t want it.”

“Quiet, brat.” He said with authority. “Or do I need to tie you up again?”

Franky groaned in protest, but otherwise remained still. Doflamingo continued spreading the ointment over Franky’s ass and back. With the soothing rubbing, Franky fell asleep and started snoring softly.

When he was finished, Doflamingo moved Franky’s body again, this time to rest comfortably over the bed with his head on the pillow. Half asleep, Franky was only vaguely aware of what was happening, but he watched with a little smile as Doflamingo rested right next to him and pulled the blanket over their bodies. Doflamingo then pulled Franky to his chest.

“I’m such a lucky prisoner.” Franky mumbled, a lazy smile decorating his face. “My captor takes such good care of me.”

Doflamingo smiled wide, kissing Franky’s forehead. “It really makes you think, doesn’t it? About who captured whom?”

“Oh?” Franky raised an eyebrow, eyelids heavy.

“My cute prisoner stole my heart, you know.” Doflamingo whispered, as if he was sharing a secret. Maybe he was.

“Is that so? You must do something about it.” Franky replied in another whisper.

“There’s nothing I can do.” He shrugged. “I tried fighting it. Tried getting my heart back. But it’s his now. I just hope he takes good care of it.”

Franky smiled softly, kissing the tip of Doflamingo’s nose. “That’s a huge responsibility.” He mumbled.

“It’s okay. I know he can handle it.” Doflamingo reached forward to stroke the side of Franky’s face. “He’s so gentle and caring. He’s like an angel. I sometimes feel like I may be tainting him.”

Franky snorted. “Oh, he’s already tainted enough.”

“How so?” Doflamingo asked seriously.

“That’s none of your damn business.” He shoved his hand playfully against Doflamingo’s face. Doflamingo laughed and wrapped his arms tightly around Franky, kissing his face.

They remained like that for a while, as Franky was on the verge of falling asleep while Doflamingo nuzzled him.

Eventually, he broke the silence with a sigh. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”

“My ass hurts so I hope we don’t.” Franky interjected playfully in the sleepiest voice, causing Doflamingo to bark out a laugh.

“You know what I mean.” He replied and took a brief pause before continuing. “Together.”

Franky hummed in acknowledgment and nuzzled the other back. 

After a brief moment of silence, Doflamingo added, “What do you say?”

“Hmm?” Franky blinked lazily.

“Let’s stay together forever.” Doflamingo whispered, like it was too dangerous to say it any louder.

Franky considered the proposal and eventually snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around the other. Yeah, this felt nice. “Doesn’t sound too bad.” He replied with a little smile.

With a wide smile, Doflamingo snuggled back, squeezing the other tight and burying his face in his neck. After yet another moment of silence, he kissed Franky’s forehead and whispered into his hair, “I love you.”

As he drifted into sleep, Franky chuckled at the absurdity of that statement, unsure if he was having a lucid dream or not. Nevertheless, he cuddled closer and soon enough, they both fell asleep together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you didn't see THAT coming!  
The safeword method they use is that of the traffic light colors! It's my favorite because it's just so intuitive.  
Next chapter comes out on January 4th, thank you so much for sticking with me this year! Happy holidays if you celebrate them & a very happy 2020!


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! No warnings for this chapter. Thanks to [Lojo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lojo) for beta reading! 
> 
> [Optional soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i1o9lSUuI8) that goes very well with this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

It was very early when Franky climbed onboard Doflamingo’s ship. He felt overdressed, especially for that time in the morning; his entire outfit had been sponsored by Doflamingo, and even though he looked pretty stylish, that wasn’t an outfit he would usually wear — especially considering he wasn’t the biggest fan of wearing clothes in general.

The feeling of the black combat boots around his feet was a foreign one, even though he could tell they were comfortable. The black, impossibly tight faux-leather booty shorts hugged his ass perfectly and he loved how slutty it made him look. He was wearing a leather jacket that was so expensive and heavy it made him feel sinful; the lapels and cuffs were lined with a soft grey fur, and there was a star symbol embroidered on the right side, directly over his chest. Underneath the jacket, he wore a white, plain, very tight crop top. Franky had added his beloved golden chains to his neck, the only part of his outfit that Doflamingo hadn’t paid for (as well as the sunglasses on top of his hairline). He rarely wore makeup nowadays, which he did very frequently as a teenager and young adult, but this seemed like an appropriate opportunity; his technique and products were by far not the best, but he did just enough to make his eyes stand out. Franky used a thick black eye pencil to color his lids and lashlines, blending everything out roughly with his fingertips. Lastly, he styled his hair as he usually did, and Kiwi and Mozu helped him pick a good perfume, insisting he should present as nicely as possible.

After speaking to Tom, Franky went to the docks and boarded the ship. He rushed inside, heading to Doflamingo’s room and slamming the door open with enthusiasm. 

“Good morning!!” He announced excitedly, a second later realizing Doflamingo was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, I’m in here!” The other shouted from the bathroom, and Franky trotted in happily, walking into the bathroom. Doflamingo was facing the mirror and turned around to greet Franky. He had a smile on his lips, but the smile shrunk when he saw the other. Before Franky could ask what was wrong, Doflamingo framed his face with both of his hands, staring at Franky with his mouth agape. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he managed to say anything.

“You’re… Wow, I just— Pffff. I’m sorry.” Doflamingo laughed at himself, leaning in and stealing a peck from Franky’s lips. “You look gorgeous. Breathtaking.”

Franky grinned so hard that his cheeks hurt. He stepped closer so that he could bury his face in Doflamingo’s chest, and the other’s arms enveloped him comfortably. Doflamingo smelled even better than usual, and his pectorals were covered in fine golden jewelry. Some of his fingers were decorated with delicate golden rings as well, and a chain earring hung from one of his ears. He was wearing a pink feather jacket similar to his classic one but more sophisticated looking, as the back was shorter and the sleeves ended with a pretty gradient from pink to yellow and then dark orange — there was no shirt underneath his jacket, of course. His pants were a dark shade of pink that ended just below his knees, and they were held in place with a black, sophisticated-looking belt with golden details. For the shoes, he wore a black pair of loafers with short heels that, like his belt, had a golden detail.

“We look like you’re pimping me out.” Franky told him nonchalantly, making Doflamingo laugh. 

“I hope you mean that as a good thing.”

“You can pimp me out anytime you want, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

“Oh? Good to know.” Doflamingo ran his fingers through Franky’s hair with a little smile. “But don’t think I’d let just anyone touch you. Can’t trust strangers with my favorite plaything.”

“I’m your favorite plaything?” Franky smiled back and teased, raising to his toe tips and meeting Doflamingo’s lips with his own. 

“Of course you are,” he whispered against Franky’s lips, holding him tighter, closer. 

They shared a slow, drawn out kiss that felt soft just as much as it felt passionate. When they separated, Doflamingo reached for Franky’s hands and squeezed them a little.

“I’m going to make a call, then we can go. Do you want to wait for me up top? Shouldn’t take too long.” 

Franky nodded. “Sounds good!” He propped himself up again, stealing one last peck from Doflamingo’s lips before heading out to the deck.

Soon after, Doflamingo got to the deck and headed with Franky towards the sea train station.

“Say, have you ever ridden on the sea train?” He asked Franky during their leisurely walk.

“Ah. Yeah…”  _ But not after the accident _ , he thought. “A long time ago. Right as it started operating.” His voice came out smaller than he wished.

Doflamingo watched him closely for the next few steps and eventually placed his arm around Franky’s shoulder.

“Are you scared?” He asked in a gentle tone.

It took Franky a minute to admit that he was, indeed, scared.

“A little.”

“Are there any safety hazards that you know of?” 

“Safety— What? No, it’s perfectly safe! It’s been operating for ten years and there have never been any incidents or malfunctions!” He rambled and then paused when he remembered his own case. “There— There was  _ one _ occasion where someone  _ voluntarily _ stood on the rails. So, there was one casualty, but not because the train is unsafe. It’s safe.”

_ That’s right _ , he told himself.  _ A casualty. Cutty Flam has long been dead. _

Doflamingo, however, didn’t seem fazed by the mention of the accident. He just looked at Franky with an amused smile on his lips. 

“I meant no offense.”

Oh. 

Franky had grown so used to people speaking ill of Tom’s creation simply for the fact that he had built the Pirate King’s ship that standing up for Tom and the sea train came automatically to him. But on second thought, Doflamingo wasn’t the kind of person who would do that. He was a pirate in charge of a powerful country; if anything, he would probably see Tom having built the Oro Jackson as a testament to how great he was and how great the sea train was.

“My bad.”

Doflamingo just laughed it off and took Franky’s hand.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from anything and everything.”

Franky smiled, but his heart hurt. He wished Doflamingo could protect him from himself.

Upon arriving at the station, the train was already waiting. Franky headed to the main entrance, but Doflamingo stopped him by holding his arm.

“This way.” Doflamingo pointed with a gesture of his head to the entrance on the first wagon.

Franky shook his head. “No, Doffy, that’s…”  _ First class? _ He interrupted himself as his thoughts pointed him in another direction. “You rented us a cabin?!”

Doflamingo chuckled quietly, pulling Franky along. “Don’t act so shocked. C’mon.” 

Franky rushed a bit to catch up with Doflamingo. “But why? It’s just one hour from here to St. Poplar.”

“I like stretching my legs.” He shrugged with a grin and stepped into the train after Franky.

The cabin was cozy yet quite spacious, the seat cushions a dark shade of navy green that gave the cabin a homey feel. Doflamingo flopped over one of the seats, kicking his shoes off of his feet and supporting his legs over the opposite seat. 

As Franky joined him, he asked, “Aren’t you going to take off your shoes?”

“It took me fifteen fucking minutes to put these things on.” He gave Doflamingo a comical, exasperated smile. Doflamingo laughed.

“Did we get the wrong size?”

“No, the size is okay. I’m just not used to wearing shoes.” He explained as he cozied up next to Doflamingo. He rested his head against Doflamingo’s shoulder and soon the train took off.

“Here.” Doflamingo pulled a flyer out of his jacket and started unfolding it, revealing an absurdly large map of St. Poplar with small descriptions near each label. He had also made his personal annotations. “I planned a tour for us but if you want to stop by any other places just let me know.”

Doflamingo had circled a couple of places on the map and connected them with arrows, writing down potential activities to do in each place. Franky skimmed through the map’s descriptions and Doflamingo’s annotations; the planning seemed very thorough and reasonable within the time frame they had available. They’d arrive and go to Poplus, where they’d spend their morning and part of the afternoon shopping and otherwise exploring the town; then, they’d go to Banff to visit a botanical garden and watch the sunset, heading then to Nagar for dinner. Lastly, they’d go to Haryana, to which Doflamingo’s annotations simply said “party”.

“I wanted to ask you about something.” Doflamingo eventually stated, leaning in closer curiously.

“Yeah?”

“There’s this place…” He reached inside his jacket again, grumbling to himself as he searched. He then patted the back pocket of his pants and found what he was looking for: a single page ripped out of what could only be a travel guide. “Here it is. There’s this interesting place in Haryana, it’s a nightclub with lots of activities. There’s a room with strippers, a dance floor, gambling games, bedrooms to rent…”

“You want to know if I’m in?” Franky interrupted him, analyzing the ripped out page. 

“I have a very specific idea.” He explained. “It would involve you being blindfolded and getting passed around by different people, whom I would choose. Meanwhile, I’d be sitting back and watching.”

“Oh,  _ of course  _ I’m in, Doffy.” Franky answered with pleasure, rubbing his hands together. “I’ve always wanted to try something like this.”

“I love how receptive you always are.” He leaned in and planted a quick kiss atop Franky’s head.

“How could I say no to that?” He countered with a chuckle.

They lounged and chatted in the cabin while on their way to St. Poplar, and eventually Franky fell asleep on Doflamingo’s lap for a few brief minutes. Since he’d started seeing Doflamingo, he’d learned that he often sleep-talked. When Franky woke up from his nap, Doflamingo told him he’d been having a fervent discussion about a topic he couldn’t make out. 

As soon as they arrived, Doflamingo took Franky’s hand in his and they made their way to the exit. The sun outside was harsh and Franky immediately slipped his sunglasses on.

Stepping out of the station, they faced a narrow, very crowded street. Doflamingo immediately brought Franky as close to him as he could, holding him by the waist. 

“What the fuck, it’s not even nine o’clock,” Franky grumbled.

“Let’s stay close together to avoid getting lost.” 

He nodded and wrapped his arm around Doflamingo’s waist. Then, in a moment’s insight, he patted over Doflamingo’s back pocket and pulled his wallet out. 

“You wanna get robbed?” Franky teased, opening his abdominal compartment and placing the wallet inside. 

“How resourceful.” Doflamingo raised an eyebrow in amusement and they made their way through the crowd, clinging onto each other.

The street was full of shouting merchants and customers alike, each trying to sell their wares over their competitors. Even though the atmosphere was chaotic, it didn’t feel oppressive. If anything, the merchants were simply overenthusiastic. Some people recognized Doflamingo and made way for him — and by association for Franky too — for no other reason than he was who he was. In return, Doflamingo flashed them a charismatic smile that Franky knew all too well, secretly squeezing Franky’s waist tighter. 

As soon as they turned a corner and got out of the most crowded part, they let go of each other and Franky took Doflamingo’s hand in his, interlacing their fingers together. 

“I feel so safe when I’m with you.” He looked at Doflamingo with a tender smile. 

Doflamingo was speechless for a moment, mouth agape, and then returned the smile. “I’m very happy to hear that.” 

Franky tossed his body to the side, playfully bumping his shoulder against Doflamingo’s arm and then deciding to keep that closeness as they walked down the street.

Soon, they reached a very pretty plaza. It was still crowded, but not nearly as claustrophobic as the first street they’d stepped on. There was a small marketplace set up, and they stepped right in to explore it. 

The merchants sold just about everything; from spices and exotic fruits to clothes and jewelry. Doflamingo was quite the avid spender and Franky found himself holding the other back. In turn, Doflamingo bought things for Franky, who adamantly rejected the gifts (as if he had a choice). 

“That’s it.” Franky slipped the fingerless gloves Doflamingo had just bought him on. “That’s the last thing you bought me today.”

“Stop lying to yourself.” Doflamingo smiled smugly and Franky hit his ribs with an elbow, without meaning to hurt the other.

“I’m serious!!” He whined.

“Look.” Doflamingo pointed ahead at a cluster of people. “There’s something going on, let’s check it out,” he said, pulling Franky along. 

As they approached the small crowd, they spotted an old lady telling a story. Even though it seemed like something mostly children might be interested in, there were only adults listening. Franky got to his toe tips and he saw that she had some red string on her hands and as she talked she entangled the string between her fingers to form intricate shapes.

“That’s pretty neat,” Franky commented quietly. “Think you can do something like that?” He teased Doflamingo with a smile.

“I don’t know, what do you think?” Doflamingo teased back. “Maybe she has a thing or two to teach me.”

Franky tried to pay attention to her story. It sounded like she was reciting poetry and there were lots of abstract symbolism, but Franky could appreciate the art even without fully comprehending it.

The story was about… Fate, and souls, and… A thread that would bend, stretch, but never break. Franky wondered how much of this resonated with Doflamingo because of his Devil Fruit and how much of it resonated with him for… Other reasons.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out.

Once the story was over, the old lady offered red braided bracelets for as much as the listeners were willing to pay. Franky heard some squealing and as he looked to the side, two girls a couple of feet away were looking at Doflamingo intently, fists closed in excitement and close to their smiling faces.

He nudged Doflamingo with his elbow and pointed towards them with a gesture of his head. “I think they want to talk to you.” 

Doflamingo, who hadn’t noticed them before, nodded at Franky. “I’ll be right back,” he said with a smile as he walked away.

Franky watched as couples excitedly purchased matching bracelets from the old lady, like that meant they’d be together forever. Franky wondered if such a thing even existed. The only person he could imagine himself loving until the end of his days was Tom. That wasn’t the same kind of love. They weren’t soulmates; they were family.

Perhaps other people, less broken and traumatized people, were able to feel things Franky couldn’t. Perhaps they were able to trust, to surrender, and thus to love.

Franky didn’t notice he was the only one left, and he’d been staring at the old lady this whole time. She was looking back at him with a soft smile, and only then did Franky realize her eyes were an opaque, milky white. Somehow that did not surprise him.

“Bracelet for your sweetheart, young man?” She asked with confidence, looking directly at Franky, which startled him a bit.

“Ah, n-no,” he stammered, looking for an excuse but being unable to find one. “Thank you.”

“Do you believe in fate?” She tilted her head.

Did he? He had never thought about it. “Uh, I don’t think so.”

Franky’s reply didn’t faze her. “No?” She kept on smiling.

“I guess it explains some things… But…” He made a long pause as he searched for the right words. “The story you told… About the thread. Does that mean everyone has a soulmate?”

She hummed in reply, and Franky wasn’t sure if it was in agreement or denial.

“How do I know if someone is my soulmate?”

“The thread may twist, stretch and become entangled, but it will never break.” She answered cryptically. 

Franky felt kind of stupid for not understanding the philosophy. “What does this mean?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What  _ is _ this thread anyway?”

“That which binds you together.” She answered with simplicity. “Your connection to each other.”

He took a minute to absorb that. Then, he crouched down next to where she was sitting, examining the bracelets. “How much for one of these bracelets again?”

“You name your price.” She smiled, holding out a jar with some money.

“Hmm.” Franky reached inside his jacket and placed 3000 Beli inside the jar, taking two bracelets and shoving them inside one of his pockets. “There you go. Thank you,” he said as he got up.

“Have a nice day!” She waved as Franky left.

It looked like Doflamingo was still surrounded by people, but as soon as he made eye contact with Franky, he dismissed everyone and rushed to meet him. He clung onto Franky, whispering in his ear, “Thank goodness you’re back. I hate doing this kind of fanservice.”

Franky took his arm as they walked. “This kind?”

“If it’s sexual I don’t really mind.” He admitted with a lopsided smile.

Franky snorted. “Yes, of course. Why did I even bother asking?”

“Want to have lunch?” Doflamingo suggested. 

The other replied with a chuckle. “Isn’t it a bit early?”

Doflamingo pointed up. “Look at the sun. It’s past noon already.”

Franky had a look and was a bit surprised to see that Doflamingo was right. “Are you too hungry? I’d rather not eat a lot now and save space for dinner.”

“Works for me.” He looked through the food stalls he could see until he found one that interested him. “How about some crêpes?”

Franky agreed with enthusiasm, squeezing Doflamingo’s arm and they made their way to the food stall. As they waited in line, Franky suggested that they shared a savory crêpe and then a sweet one, so that they’d be able to try different flavors. Doflamingo thought that was a cute suggestion and agreed. They found a bench nearby to sit as they ate; Franky smudged all of his face with chocolate as he ate gracelessly, and Doflamingo wiped it off with a napkin and a kiss.

Once they were finished eating, they looked around the marketplace some more, and then made their way to the tram station. The tram was obsolete and slow, but it was still active for touristic purposes. Either way, the ride was perfectly peaceful and romantic; they got to chat, appreciate the view and hold hands. Franky felt a bit silly for being in his thirties and still enjoying this kind of thing so much, but he allowed himself to enjoy it anyway.

They got off when they arrived in Banff and went straight to the botanical garden. The district was by far not as crowded as Poplus, but the streets were still active and lively. 

“I’ve heard this is one of the prettiest places in St. Poplar.” Doflamingo mentioned as stepped into the garden. Franky was excited as it was his first time visiting a botanical garden.

The environment was incredibly peaceful; there weren’t many visitors, so if they were silent, all they’d hear was the rustling of leaves against the wind and the chirping of birds and insects. They saw rare plant species, visited an orchard and a closed off section with insect colonies inside terrariums.

The sun was close to setting when they reached the top of a hill; on the other side, there was a gorgeous view of a large portion of the botanical garden. Right ahead of them was a field of sunflowers.

“Ah,” Doflamingo said airily, squeezing Franky’s hand like he didn’t mean to. Franky looked at him, a bit intrigued; after a moment of silence, Doflamingo gestured to one of the nearby benches. “Let’s sit down for a minute.”

As they sat, Franky touched Doflamingo’s arm in a comforting gesture, “Everything okay?”

Doflamingo let out a small chuckle. “I’m fine. I just got hit with an unexpected wave of homesickness.”

Franky let out an apologetic sound and wrapped his arm around Doflamingo’s torso. Doflamingo welcomed him closer. “I guess you  _ have  _ been away from home for pretty long.”

“You know,” Doflamingo laughed again, and this time it felt more genuine. “I had originally planned to stay in Water 7 for only about two weeks or so.”

Franky felt a rush of blood rise to his face. “Oh.” He answered quietly, feeling his mouth go dry. There was probably a catch to this; Doflamingo surely couldn’t have stayed just because of him? 

“But then...?” He asked despite his better judgement.

Doflamingo’s arm wrapped itself tighter around Franky. “Then I found a reason to stay longer, of course.” He whispered, the dripping affection in his voice utterly undeniable. 

Franky felt himself curl up inwards; he wasn’t sure if it was physically or emotionally. He stared at nothing in particular and focused on willing his fear and paranoia away.

After what felt like a century, Doflamingo spoke again, in another mumble. “Do you like the sunflowers?”

Franky shook his head to force himself back to reality. “The sunflowers?” He asked absentmindedly before realizing what Doflamingo was talking about. “Oh. Yeah, they’re pretty,” he replied, unsure of what to say.

“This is the first thing you’ll see every morning”, Doflamingo whispered, and it sounded like a confession. “When you’re in Dressrosa with me.”

Upon hearing those words, Franky felt his mind shut down. That one sentence was so heavy with implications and Franky hated every single one of them. Doflamingo couldn’t possibly be expecting for them to take it that far. They were only fuck-buddies; friends with benefits. Perhaps lovers, even though that word felt too intimate for Franky’s taste.

Doflamingo kissed Franky’s hair. “I may be homesick, but… Spending these months here with you brought me so much joy that I’m afraid home won’t feel the same without you.”

This time, Franky pulled back, away from Doflamingo’s warm embrace. He stared at the ground, unable to meet the other’s gaze. Doflamingo gently cupped his face, coaxing Franky to look up. Franky didn’t fight it, but still averted his eyes.

“Baby.” Doflamingo called out so so gently that Franky couldn’t help his lips from trembling, couldn’t help tears from overflowing his eyes and rushing down his face.

He squeezed his eyes shut and immediately shoved his face in Doflamingo’s soft jacket, clinging hard to his arm as he sobbed uncontrollably. 

“Doffy, I’m s-sorry, I’m so sorry…” He blurted out, suddenly becoming overwhelmed by a crushing feeling of guilt. Franky didn’t even know what he felt so guilty for. “I can’t— I don’t know— I’m sorry!...”

Doflamingo, on the other hand, was completely startled. Except for putting an arm around Franky’s body and holding him, he had no idea what to do. Eventually, he whispered, “Please don’t cry.” But as he should have guessed, Franky only cried harder; he then decided it was best not to say anything.

Franky cried some more and then let out a self-deprecating laugh. “You planned such a nice trip for us. I just have to ruin everything, don’t I?”

“Hey.” Doflamingo pulled back just enough to be able to cup Franky’s face, framing it between his hands. “You will not talk about yourself like that. I will not allow it. Okay?” Although he was firm, his tone was gentle.

Franky sniffled and reached between their faces to wipe his nose with the back of his hand. He was silent for a moment, and then said, “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Doflamingo gently ran his thumb through one of Franky’s sideburns.

“I know what’s coming. And I’m scared.”

Doflamingo tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see me for who I am. And then you won’t like me anymore.”

“Well, first of all, that’s impossible.” Doflamingo answered with simplicity. “I can’t think of anything that might make me dislike you.”

“You’d be surprised.” Franky mumbled bitterly.

“And even if I’m wrong. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Okay?”

Franky wanted to scream and say no and push Doflamingo away, because he knew they were already in the middle of that bridge. Instead, he nodded and remained silent.

“You don’t have to worry about me disliking you.” Doflamingo continued. “Because… I...”

Franky raised both his hands to Doflamingo’s face, fingertips ghosting over his lips; he was shaking so much he might as well be in need of medical assistance. 

“Don’t.” He said in a deep register, one Doflamingo had never heard before. It was like Franky’s voice was bleeding directly from his soul. “This is the only thing I’ll ever ask of you. Don’t do it.” He pleaded like he was about to shatter, unable to meet Doflamingo’s gaze.

Doflamingo felt a stab of betrayal that felt all too familiar, but he brushed it aside as best as he could. It didn’t matter; Franky was still shuddering severely and hyperventilating in his arms. So he held Franky close and stroked his cheeks until he’d calmed down. 

By then, the sun had already set.

When he pulled back, Franky wiped his undereyes to clean up the makeup smeared all over his face. Then, he gave Doflamingo a smile that would’ve been entirely convincing if he hadn’t seen Franky have a full-scale breakdown only minutes earlier.

“Thank you for showing me the sunflowers.” He said, taking Doflamingo’s hands in his. “Let’s have dinner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got all the information on St. Poplar from [here](https://www.opbforums.com/forums/showthread.php?7272-%E2%9C%96-Information-on-St-Poplar). Their outfits are inspired by my [figures](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDfBTn_XUAEOxRo?format=jpg&name=medium) with some minor changes (did you know that their height difference in these figures is the same as in canon!!).
> 
> I'm taking a break from Collisions until further notice. Some things that have been happening made me lose my motivation to write for this pairing and I'm scared of forcing myself into finishing this fic and ending up with something I hate. We've just reached the half of this story and I'm really proud of everything that I've written so far, I don't want to half-ass the second part. I will finish this fic, I promise! I just need some time.
> 
> If you like Collisions, I'd like to invite you to subscribe to the fic so that you can be notified when the next chapters come out! Thank you so much for your time and attention so far, if this fic made you emotional, excited, frustrated or even curious I'd love if you could let me know by leaving a comment! See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/tiniestfranky)! If you enjoy my work, you can always drop me a [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/tonyjay). Thank you!


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